Bad politicians, Evil defense contractors (Blackwater mayhaps?), deranged combat veterans, money motivated media corporations, grizzled old school reporter and idealistic ‘cub’ blogger, did we leave anything out? Oh yeah, the young dead girl having an affair with a married politician. The only thing worse than the convoluted cliches is the acting of  Ben Afleck. Maybe the director asked for a wooden performance, or perhaps it was a conscious choice Ben made for his character. It could be his best scenes were cut out. Russell Crowe gives some credibility to the film and you can at least believe his character. There are also some decent cameos by Jeff Daniels, Jason Bateman and Helen Mirren. The twists and turns in this almost thriller may keep you occupied until the not so shocking end, but I felt I was played by State of Play.