Comments on: State of Play – Movie Review Now in Theaters

By: amasarai

amasarai — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:10:28 +0000

Why do you think the crazy soldier would know the exact amount of money that Sonia was being paid??? He was not sophisticated like that. Did he look at her bank statement? He didn’t torture her or question her to find out that information. He simply pushed her in front of a train.

It’s obvious to me that Sonja told Steven Collins the amount of money that she was being paid, and then he told his wife. Anne Collins inadvertently let it slip to implicate her husband.

By: beggers

beggers — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:37:36 +0000

Daphne, I want to thank you for that explanation. Now the ending finally makes sense to me. I was going crazy trying to figure it out but you nailed it. Thanks! Incidentally, I really liked this movie and I thought the entire cast did exceptionally well.

By: daphne

daphne — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:52:40 +0000

Here’s the thing:
1. Yes, Robert the killer was hired by Collins. He was not hired by PointCorp; we just thought so for most of the film. He was hired by Collins, his old war buddy, to follow the girl, because the Congressman was suspecting that she was a spy. Collins may have told the guy to rough her up; that is not clear; but the war buddy kills her. He’ll do anything to help out the congressman because he (Affleck) saved his life in Iraq in the past.

Affleck’s character then basically uses Crowe’s character to pin the murder on PointCorp–thus covering up his own role in it.

Re the $26,000; apparently his war buddy (Robert) found out that Sonja was being paid that? in his investigations?; and told the congressman; who told his wife; but per Crowe the reporter, Congressman and wife are not supposed to know that info. So when Robin Wright Penn’s character says it, Crowe realizes that Affleck must be involved more than he said he was.

Crowe knows the amount because Sonja’s friend whom they inteviewed in the motel told him (and us).

That seems to be how it works… it is a bit murky….

By: kmad

kmad — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:06:40 +0000

I, too, was befuddled by the $26,000. I thought Roberts (not quite the right name) was hired by Collins when he suspected something fishy. Can you tell me what tv show this was based on?

By: almanac1

almanac1 — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:27:27 +0000

I have some big confusion about Collins being on the take also? Roberts (is that his name/psycho killer) was hired by the defense company, correct? But then he realized that Collins who had saved his life was the one they were targeting? The movie broke down for me at that point which pivots around the $26,000 bit. Help please. I am not usually so obtuse, but here I clearly am…Thanks

By: Marilyn G

Marilyn G — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:47:25 +0000

I was also troubled about the $26,000. I am not even sure how Stephen Collins knew about the amount of money that was being paid. It was a greast movie, except for that point. Did they mess up the editing?

By: jon corey

jon corey — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:55:28 +0000

HERE’S AN EXTRACT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH BEN AFFLECK AND THE “26,000 QUESTION” BEING ADDRESSED FOR SOME ADDITIONAL CLARITY — WHICH AFFIRMS THAT HOLLYWOOD ACTORS ARE OFTEN JUST AS “OUT OF TOUCH” AND CLUELESS AS ARE THE DIRECTORS, WRITERS, AND PRODUCERS:
____________________________________________

You have a saying in the movie at the end. It was discussed about the $26,000. That was vague to a few of us. What was your take on her knowing about that?

Affleck: There was some issue. At a certain point there was some talk about making her complicit. That didn’t end up being the way we went. I thought it would be really bold actually. I really pushed for it with Kevin [MacDonald] and he was non-committal to my face, which means that behind my back he’s was like ‘Affleck’s crazy. We’re not gonna do it!’ [accent] ‘No! Shrek! Donkey!’ He talks like Shrek! No, he barely has an accent. He’s Scottish. The idea was that the money, I had told her innocently, and she had passed that on to Russell. She was a conduit of that information without knowing she was passing on something. In explaining to her ‘No, just this one time.’ and trying to make her feel more comfortable about what happened, that she was being paid. I gave her an amount of money she had been paid. She remembered it and tells Cal, and then Call realizes ‘He must have told his wife this.’ Trying to explain ‘Honey, you don’t understand. She got paid $26,000, it wasn’t like that, they gave her all this money.’ There is no way he could have told his wife. It’s basically me saying the $26,000 and him saying ‘How do you know that?’ except it was through Robin [Wright Penn].
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ONE WOULD THINK THAT GIVEN ALL OF THE MONEY THAT’S PAID TO WRITE SCRIPTS AND PRODUCE MOVIES THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE ABLE TO CATCH THIS ERROR BEFORE THE MOVIE WAS RELEASED….

By: joanie

joanie — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:56:46 +0000

I’m stumpted about a pivotal moment in the film…. how did Annie Collins know that the mistress was being paid $26,000 a month to infiltrate Congressman Collins’ staff…?

By: nick b.

nick b. — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:39:39 +0000

Here’s why I thought “State” missed a great chance at something more.

http://digg.com/u11GzJ