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)

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)

• Babel
• The Prestige
• The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition)
• Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)
• Blood Diamond (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
• The Guardian
• Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)
• The Black Dahlia (Widescreen Edition)
• The Pursuit of Happyness (Widescreen Edition)

Of course the book is better, but this is definitely worth the buy if you like dramas and political dramas at that. I really enjoyed this movie and glad I own it. I really liked this movie and I actually saw it before I read the book. The entire cast gave great performances and brought the book to life.

Just don't let it keep you from reading the book. 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. But you won't regret spending some time with this. I thought this film was pretty good, despite Jude Law's fake southern accent. The pacing lags a bit, and the dramatic tension is slightly off.

I liked when he brought Ruffalo out to raise his hand. What I also thought was good was the scene where the hospital opens and Stark gives a really gung ho speech. There is nothing bad about her performance though. 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. 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. Was it really necessary to have Kate Winslet shot like an angel or something. It was kind of like "How or why could you bring him here." I agree with a lot of the criticisms.

There is a scene where Burden bring Stark to Hopkins' house and Hopkins gives Law this look that in very memorable. I can see why they would break that up and make it a pivotal scene because it was great. Hopkins was also good. You are told that he is going to put the fall on Ruffalo but you are never shown that. That score was excellent as was Sean Penn. He was genuinely good and I thought an interesting character. I thought that Jude Law gave the best performance in the movie.

The movie doesn't let you go into how Stark got corrupt.

It was an ok movie, but i would not watch it again. With the actors in this movie, i exspected better.

A DVD worth owning. The cinematography captures the sultry climate of the weather and the politics. Loosely based on historical fact. A little confusing about the extent to which Willie Stark trades his populist beliefs for greed. Excellent evocation of Louisiana in an earlier era. Some scenes shot in the state capitol and the governor's office, with interesting views of the countryside.