When it comes to contemporary American theatre, few names carry both the prestige and element of intimidation quite as much as that of David Mamet, who remains one of the most revered and feared modern playwrights, known for his scathing critiques of contemporary life, no-holds-barred vulgarity and truly deranged sense of humour that make him one of the most enduring writers of his generation. His work is challenging, complex and a rite of passage for many actors, who often undergo the stressful but rewarding process of taking on his work. His genius has branched out into other media, such as his occasional work behind the camera as a screenwriter and film director, which has been a sporadic but interesting footnote in his storied career. State and Main is amongst one of his most popular, with the story of a troubled film shoot being quite a captivating example of Mamet’s talents in several different roles behind the camera, which he has honed over a steady career. Not a film that is perfect by any means, but rather an interesting addition to his prolific, cross-medium career, State and Main is something quite special, even when it is at its most flawed, which is unfortunately more common than most would expect, especially in the latter half of the film where the novelty begins to wear off, and it becomes somewhat tedious, before pulling itself together with a few well-placed surprises, which is essential par for the course when it comes to Mamet’s work. Funny, insightful and often quite scandalous, he weaves together a strangely captivating journey into the seedy underbelly of the film industry, and seems to be having a lot of fun doing so.

Mamet’s work is vitriolic and very rarely avoids obsessive critiques of certain groups. However, what is very common amongst the works he has written is a tendency to consistently punch upwards – his plays and films rarely take aim at those below him, instead focusing on those who reside comfortably in the ivory towers of various industries. Throughout State and Main, the most consistent victims of his scathing commentary are the Hollywood elite, the wealthy and influential entertainment executives and creative individuals (calling them artists seems wildly inappropriate, considering how they commodify absolutely everything), who feel it is their obligation to find their way into a small town and essentially take over, believing that nothing is impossible if the right amount of money is involved. Mamet expresses nothing but disdain for these individuals, and is entirely unafraid to confront them directly and with a sense of cruel irony throughout this film. No one is free from his acidic attacks on contemporary society, and the fact that he wrangles all this commentary into one of the most forthright and hilarious deconstructions of the film industry only makes it more worthwhile, since there is always a sense of deeper meaning behind every frame. The film may seem like it is doing far too much by way of showcasing the endless greed and corruption of Hollywood studios and their delusions of grandeur – but with stark consistency, Mamet manages to easily circumvent any of these problems into a neat bundle of acerbic neuroses and outrageous situations that nearly always resolve themselves through the liberal use of profanity and morally-ambigious posturing.

As a playwright that nearly any actor, whether novice or veteran, strives to work with in some capacity, it’s unsurprising that Mamet drew quite an impressive cast for State and Main, which is the kind of ensemble that may not be entirely star-studded, but rather functions as a masterful combination of massively recognizable stars and more underrated but valuable character actors, all of which seem to be relishing in the opportunity to interpret Mamet’s incredible dialogue, even if some of them are given characters to play that can range from despicable to only barely likeable. Choosing a standout is difficult, since the entire project is fueled by the ensemble and their chemistry with each other – William H. Macy is the common thread through all the sub-plots, playing the pernickety director tasked with bringing this ambitious project to fruition, and despite his belief that he holds a unique artistic vision, he is in constant servitude to the omnipotent studio, which is embodied in the presence of the main producer, played with sleazy brilliance by the great David Paymer. Sarah Jessica Parker and Alec Baldwin are absolutely terrific as the spoiled stars of the film that come with an abundance of baggage that becomes the bane of this town’s existence, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, in one of his earliest starring roles, is the closest we come to a good character, a playwright venturing into the world of filmmaking, and who grows increasingly disillusioned with the malicious nature of the industry. There’s an argument to be made that Hoffman is play a character inspired by Mamet himself, a surrogate for the director who is giving his own firsthand perspective of his past experiences as a writer transitioning to film, struggling to balance his own acclaim garnered from a fruitful career in theatre and the realization that he is nothing but an expendable employee on a project that really doesn’t need the artistic vision he has built his entire career around. It’s a wonderful cast, and while there are great moments from every one of these actors, it’s really the effort put in by the ensemble as a whole that elevates State and Main and makes it so unique.

The film industry is a tough one, and Mamet doesn’t fall for the same tendency to present it as one that is entirely glamourous, and where the biggest problems are really the definition of superficial. It’s a cutthroat world, and there is very little love lost between the director and the clear (but unnamed) inspirations behind the film. This kind of scathing critique doesn’t come about unprovoked, and whether it is plucked from his own experiences, or inspired by the stories and observations he heard as one of the most keenly aware artists working today, Mamet is actively challenging the world of big-budget filmmaking. It leads to a very funny comedy, but it doesn’t lack complexity – and as the film goes on, we see how far this director is willing to take this material, with ethical standards coming into question throughout the film’s brutal evisceration of the arrogance of an industry supposedly propelled by shady dealings. Hollywood is run just like any other business, where there is a clear case of originality only being valuable when it is profitable – not necessarily a catch-all indictment of the industry as a whole (since Mamet has been involved in a number of independent productions, which are hopefully more copacetic and humane than the heightened version of showbusiness he is presenting here), but rather a brutal evisceration of one side of it. The film has a lot of deep criticism that can be quite interesting once we overcome the initial shock value – and it only makes it more enriching than we’d expect based on a cursory glance, which is really where the film is at its peak, since the viewer doesn’t always know what to expect, other than that we’re going to be taken on quite a wild ride.

State and Main is a fascinating curio of a film. At first, we expect this to be just a conventional Hollywood satire, an outrageous comedy that promises an amusing glimpse behind the curtain of the film industry. When we look at it in general terms, we did get this from the film – but it is so much more than that, which we should’ve expected, considering how Mamet isn’t someone who often does anything without some broader intention informing it. The film traverses some very dark territory – over the course of the story, it flirts with some moral dilemmas, which gradually envelope the film and inform many of its discussions in the second half, which is where it can feel like it is losing some control, the more serious commentary overtaking the lighthearted satire, which is where the film was the most successful. However, it works through these problems by constantly adding deeper nuances and meaning to an already challenging storyline, all the while not taking itself entirely seriously, keeping a good sense of humour, even at its most uncomfortable. Where never entirely know where we stand with this film, and it can sometimes be a bit too much in terms of how it is relentless in its criticisms of Hollywood and how it is supposedly a breeding ground for perverts, hedonists and outright criminals – and while this may have some kernel of truth, we have to factor in Mamet’s tendency towards slight hyperbole, an artistic choice that is perpetual throughout his work. All these components considered, State and Main remains quite a compelling film, an industry comedy with a satirical edge, which only makes it even more interesting when we see how far it is willing to go to deconstruct the very industry that made its existence possible.