All the King's Men (2006)

I've never seen the original 1949 film, so the 2006 remake of All the King's Men is my only reference for the story. And while I watched the film in its entirety, if pressed, I wouldn't be able to give you a very detailed plot synopsis. To be blunt, it's pretty boring, and none of the characters motivate you to pay close attention.Sean Penn is an over-the-top Southern politician with dreams of grandeur. I've never found him to be very trustworthy in his roles anyway, so it's not a stretch to believe he manipulates and panders to his audiences and those in his close circle, while hiding his ulterior motives. In tow are journalist Jude Law, girlfriend Patricia Clarkson, and political crony James Gandolfini. James seemed to be on a constant verge of cracking up, Patricia seemed miscast, and Kate Winslet, who got on the promotional poster, has an infinitely smaller part than her counterparts. I don't know why she was cast either, since her role consisted of very little acting, except maybe she, her publicist, or the studio were drawn to cast her for one scene of partial nudity. The big scene in the film—Sean Penn is making a political speech and no one is listening to him, so he lays on the heavy religious rhetoric and shouts and gains everyone's attention and support—felt extremely forced and uncompelling. How can the audience get excited about Sean's big scene when it feels like it was the fortieth take and everyone was tired and knew what to expect? While James Horner's theme was supposed to sound ominous, all I heard were the similarities to Hans Zimmer's music in Green Card, which had an entirely different meaning. All the King's Men isn't a movie I wish I'd never seen, but it was very forgettable and hardly the money that went into it. A Face in the Crowd, a different story but with similar themes, is an infinitely superior film.DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. In the first and last scenes, the camera spins in a continuous circle, and it might make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

This movie saddens me. The cast is great, performances great, locations and camera work all great. There are multiple problems with the movie though. First, it misses the boat on it's subject. Gov. Huey P. Long was one of the most colorful political figures of any age. Sean Penn gives a great portrayal of Long (despite having his wardrobe all wrong) but the movie veers away from his story and concentrates too much on Jude Law's character. While Law's character is interesting, it feels like the movie is more about him than Long. Secondly, why take one of the most compelling true political stories of all time and turn it into a work of fiction? For instance, this movie has Long being shot in the state capitol on the day of his impeachment hearing. In reality, Long had already moved on to the Senate when he was shot down. All the right elements were in place here except an accurate story. It is a disgrace that this movie shares the same title as the superior 1949 movie with Broderick Crawford. Watch it instead.

I just can't imagine how this film did not generate more money at the box office. Look at the star-studded cast: Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, just to name a few. You have three Oscar winners in that crop of stars. I mean on name recognition alone more people should have gone to see it. Penn did a great job in his role as Willie Stark. Penn is an avid political activist and it was great to see him play a politician in one of his films. His role as Harvey Milk was better than this but still the Willie Stark character was one that no one else would have played better. I had to read the book for an English class back in high school and I have to say that while the book was better, the film was great as well. The film has an interesting storyline just like the book and each character in the film plays the one that they should have played. Anthony Hopkins was great as Judge Irwin but it was quite different to see Hopkins play someone other than a villain. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone has an interest in politics and is a fan of Penn's because he really played this part incredibly well.

this remake of the 1949 film is not as good as that version,but its' still watchable,particularly for the performance of Sean Penn.he transcends the material.watching him here,i can't help but think he may be the greatest living actor of his generation,at the very least.Jackie Earle Haley(whom i had heard a lot of good things about but had never seen before)is also exceptional in a small role,as is Patricia Clarkson.the rest of the supporting cast are also good.really all of the actors are better than the movie they are in.this is really an actor's film.the film itself tends to drag and be long winded and veer off track,losing momentum which it never fully gains.if it weren't for Penn's bravura performance,this would likely be a skippable movie.but he(and by extension,the rest of the cast)salvages the film.for me,All the King's Men (2006) is a 6/10