This week's video pick: State of Play

Kevin MacDonald's American remake of the 2003 BBC drama "State of Play" is one of 2009's better films. MacDonald, who also directed the critically-acclaimed "The Last King of Scotland" and "Touching the Void", does a solid job condensing the six-hour runtime of the British original about a pair of reporters out to expose a murder that may be tied to an elected official, without losing too much of the story or character development. In the midst of its twists and turns, it even makes an astute observation on the state of the print media industry in the electronic age.The ensemble cast, led by Russell Crowe (where's Tugger?), Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright-Penn, Helen Mirren and Ben Affleck, all give solid performances.

The only place the film slightly runs off-track is in its wrap up, which is different from the miniseries and is a bit on the obvious side. That aside, "State of Play" is an intelligent, rock-solid thriller for adults, one that places more of an emphasis on character motivation and development than it does shootouts or chases. Four stars out of four. 128 minutes. Universal Home Video DVD and Blu-ray disc.