Watching “Lost” for the first time as it aired was both a great and annoying experience; great because I no longer need to worry about spoilers and annoying because of the commercial breaks. One of the pesky breaks included a trailer for a new Russell Crowe film that I had either 1) ignored or 2) missed.

Directed by Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald and based on an acclaimed BBC miniseries from a few years ago, State of Play stars Russell Crowe as a journalist investigating the suspicious death of a congressman’s mistress.

The film adaptation was at the centre of a bidding war and at one point had both Brad Pitt and Edward Norton lined up as potential stars before Crowe came onto the scene yet, I’ve managed to miss everything about the production which struts a great supporting cast which includes Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, Robin Wright Penn, Rachel McAdams, and Jeff Daniels.

The TV spot left me cold but a glimpse at the cast peaked my interested enough to search out the trailer which is, thankfully, a better experience. Political thrillers rarely hold my interest and I’m not buying Ben Affleck as a congressman (he seems too young) this one is selling me on cast alone. I’m not a huge fan of Crowe’s but he, more often than not, manages a great performance and with this cast, I’m finding it difficult to walk away.

State of Play opens on April 17th.

Trailer is tucked under the seat.