"Affairs of State" is a "House of Cards"-style film with a set of malevolent and power-hungry politicos in Washington, D.C. The action is set in motion by the team of Michael Lawson and his roommate Callie, who, unable to pay the rent on their apartment, engage in a string of dastardly acts, setting in motion a conflict for the rising political star John Boland Baines.

Baines has started a new, conservative political party, and Michael sleeps his way into the position of campaign assistant. Nearly all of the characters are sleazy with everyone looking for an angle. The one breath of fresh air would appear to be Baines' daughter Darcy, who takes an instant liking to Michael. Her only flaw is that she may have an out-of-control temper, as apparent when she stabbed her stepmother. Unfortunately, Michael has already begun an affair with the stepmother, a Mrs. Robinson-type character. Michael is confused, especially when Darcy asks him never to betray or embarrass her father.

Michael's roommate Callie is a specialist in technology and a super paparazzi, secretly recording trysts with the politicians and judges, then selling the footage to the tabloids. It is inevitable that Callie will eventually come around to betraying her roommate by filming him with Mrs. Baines.

The film builds some good tension with the major dramatic question of whether Michael will be able to redeem himself in the eyes of Darcy. While "Affairs of State" lacks the imagination and devious nature of "House of Cards," it nonetheless has some intriguing characters and builds good suspense.

Ignore all the bad reviews. Most of them are upset because of their political views. I am not political at all and was able to watch this movie not really caring about political views but focusing on the story. It wasn't great, but at the same time it was not bad. Some people were expecting a thriller. Not sure why as it was clearly listed as a drama. The acting was good, and the story line very believable. The ending a bit sad and left me wanting a bit more. Overall I give it a 6.2

Just too much amateurism to handle. The "young campaign aide" actor needs to stick with after shave commercials.