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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 10681
Released: December 19, 2006 |
| Our Price: $3.95 |
| Used Price: $0.02 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins star in this riveting story of a humble man’s rise to political power and the destructive force of corruption and betrayal that would ultimately unravel his soul, based on Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Also starring James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Patricia Clarkson.
Beyond All The King’s Men
The Original |
The Book |
The Soundtrack |
More Political Dramas |
The Films of Sean Penn |
The Films of Anthony Hopkins |
Stills from All the King’s Men (click for larger image)
Description of All the King's Men (Special Edition):
Sean Penn gives another powerhouse performance in All the King's Men, leading a topnotch cast in writer-director Steven Zaillian's underrated adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. When you consider that the previous 1949 film version earned well-deserved Academy Awards for director Robert Rossen and actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, it's no surprise that Zaillian's film was expected to earn similar acclaim, but lukewarm critical reception and disappointing box-office gave it the stigma of a noble failure. And while the film (which moves Warren's story from the Depression-era '30s to the early 1950s) suffers from uneven pacing, partial miscasting, and an occasional lack of dramatic tension, it still qualifies as a first-class production that resonates with the timeless relevance of Warren's piercing political classic. Like Broderick before him, Penn is riveting as Louisiana governor Willie Stark, an upstart political dynamo (freely inspired by controversial real-life Louisiana governor Huey P. Long) whose rise to power is ultimately doomed by corruption and betrayal.
Jude Law costars as political reporter Jack Burden, our firsthand witness to Stark's rise and inevitable fall; his orbit of political insiders includes a corrupt judge (Anthony Hopkins) with a dark secret to hide; a longtime friend (Mark Ruffalo) and former lover (Kate Winslet) who fall victim to Stark's influence; and political staffers (James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson) who remain powerless against Stark's ill-fated populist juggernaut. At Sean Penn's request, former child star Jackie Earle Haley (from the original Bad News Bears) makes a welcome return to movies as Willie Stark's quietly intense bodyguard, "Sugar-Boy." Coproduced by Louisiana-born political consultant James Carville, filmed on authentic Louisiana locations and boasting all the stately, luxurious production values of a would-be Oscar contender, All the King's Men clearly benefits from Penn's fiery performance and Zaillian's earnest embrace of Warren's still-potent subject matter. And while the film's shortcomings may have prevented it from achieving unanimous acclaim, this is still a serious, well-crafted drama with much to say about the insidious potential for fascism in America, especially when well-meaning politicians lose their souls to power. --Jeff Shannon
On the DVD
The special features that accompany All the King's Men further demonstrate the film's in-production status as a potential classic. While the "making of" featurette is perfunctory at best, the other featurettes are definitely worthwhile despite Sean Penn's conspicuous absence. In "Shake Hands with the Devil," the film's cast, producer, and writer-director Steven Zaillian discuss the timeless theme of political corruption; "An American Classic" is a concise profile of Robert Penn Warren, paying tribute to the poet and author's literary achievements; and "The Legend and Lore of Huey Long" examines the life and legacy of the still-beloved governor who won the hearts of working-class Louisianans while falling prey to his own ambition. "LA Confidential" is a brief featurette about the film's use of authentic Louisiana locations and the positive effect they had on cast and crew; three deleted scenes were obviously cut from the film for purposes of time, yet offer ample proof of Zaillian's established skill as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters; and the alternate ending extends beyond the film's final shot, with a funeral scene that serves as a melancholy (and ultimately unnecessary) coda to the film's Greek-tragic drama. --Jeff Shannon
All the King's Men (Special Edition) Reviews:
Excellent 
2009-01-01 - It may be that judgment colored the comments of most reviewers but whatever colored them, the negative comments are washed away by superb acting and an overwhelmingly fine presentation of a place, era, and way of thinking probably foreign to most viewers, even from the U.S.
Very possibly, as reviewer El Lagarto points out, a central problem is also "the iconic nature of the source material," namely, the biography of corrupt populist Louisiana governor, Huey "Kingfish" Long---the man who called himself a "hick" and rose up by addressing other "hicks"---many of whom had never voted before. I blush to tell, I've never read the famed Robert Penn Warren novel on which this film is based.
But the movie perfectly captures the oppressively hot, humid Louisiana climate, along with the perennially corrupt political environment that endured throughout the 20th century and into our own era. It also precisely frames the grand antebellum plantation houses, wide lawns, live oak-lined dirt drives and swamps of south Louisiana, where the population is concentrated---along with the decadence for which New Orleans, from its very establishment, has always been deservedly renowned.
The Willie Stark that Sean Penn manufactures is a Huey Long-look alike, and is totally believable. He has the accent, the swagger, and the deep south dead pan down cold, along with the ability to spin a highly colorful yarn based on a highly colorful southern analogy. There's no modern politics in this part. It's late 1920s and early 1930s Louisiana, the whole way. In context.
That's undoubtedly another problem for most viewers. The environment established so firmly in this amazing political story is that it is so foreign to that of current-day U.S. population centers. Apparently, few people can believe that anything like it ever existed in the U.S. But Louisiana has always been something of a world unto itself, and this was especially true during the Huey Long era.
The actors, listed above, all contribute to the full-scale replication of that complex world, where a gentleman's honor and appearance account for almost everything. Most of the main characters (good guys and bad, alike) thus live beyond the reach of morality---power-hungry, afflicted with alcoholism, or eternally laboring to hide their personal shame or dirty laundry.
This film's negative reception was totally unwarranted. Overall, it's an amazing dramatic accomplishment. For more than two hours, the movie held us rapt in another time, and a thoroughly fascinating place.
--Alyssa A. Lappen
A great movie 
2008-11-18 - I really liked this movie and I actually saw it before I read the book. Of course the book is better, but this is definitely worth the buy if you like dramas and political dramas at that. The entire cast gave great performances and brought the book to life. I really enjoyed this movie and glad I own it.
Unfairly maligned
2008-11-01 - I thought this film was pretty good, despite Jude Law's fake southern accent. I'm not a big fan of Sean Penn - he of the political opinions he can't keep to himself. But I have to admit his acting here is pretty dang good. The pacing lags a bit, and the dramatic tension is slightly off. But you won't regret spending some time with this. Just don't let it keep you from reading the book.
Not nearly as good as the original but fine 
2008-09-10 - I thought that Jude Law gave the best performance in the movie. He was genuinely good and I thought an interesting character. Hopkins was also good. There is a scene where Burden bring Stark to Hopkins' house and Hopkins gives Law this look that in very memorable. It was kind of like "How or why could you bring him here." I agree with a lot of the criticisms. Was it really necessary to have Kate Winslet shot like an angel or something? There is nothing bad about her performance though. The idea of representing Stark's political corruption through his personal life and not by signing any dirty deals was not the right thing to do. The movie doesn't let you go into how Stark got corrupt. You are told that he is going to put the fall on Ruffalo but you are never shown that.
What I also thought was good was the scene where the hospital opens and Stark gives a really gung ho speech. That score was excellent as was Sean Penn. I liked when he brought Ruffalo out to raise his hand. I can see why they would break that up and make it a pivotal scene because it was great.
In the original ATKM the scene where Stark is shot is very shocking and there is a scream that makes the scene feel very real, in this version the color is drained from the scene and its in slo-mo and it's all very studied and calculated lacking the originals shock value.
Not Great 
2008-09-08 - It was an ok movie, but i would not watch it again. With the actors in this movie, i exspected better.
