All the King's Men (Special Edition)
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Actor: Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Sean PennBrand: PENN,SEAN
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 128 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-12-19
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of All the King's Men (Special Edition)
DVD Review: Of the People, by the People, and for the People
Summary: 2 Stars
I could recommend "All the King's Men" if Sean Penn's performance was the only criteria. Sadly, it isn't, and that forces me to look at the film negatively; this is a well intended film that completely loses its way, falling victim to needlessly complicated details and virtually nonexistent character development. I never once felt that I had the chance to know these characters, which is bad because I could tell the actors put a lot of work into making them believable. It's really a shame this film falls flat. All the components are there, but they aren't used to the best of their ability.
This remake of the 1949 Academy Award winning film (which itself was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren) is a fictional reinterpretation of Huey Long, the Democratic Louisiana governor assassinated in 1935. The film changes him into Willie Stark, originally played by Broderick Crawford and now played by Sean Penn. I don't dare analyze how faithful this 2006 film is to either the 1949 film or the original novel, nor do I dare attempt to compare the Stark portrayals to Long's real-life mannerisms. There's simply too much I'm not aware of. All I can do is focus on this film as a separate entity, one that is initially enhanced by Penn's brilliant performance. There's no question that the man can act. He certainly pulls no punches when it comes to Willie Stark, whose energetic, tell-it-like-it-is campaign got him elected as governor of Louisiana.
The other actors give reasonable performances, as well. The exception is Jude Law as reporter Jack Burden; while his performance wasn't bad, he still seemed out of place in this story. It's as if he were hired out of convenience rather than for his ability to portray a plausible Southern gentleman. Law has and always will be a Hollywood Pretty Boy, meaning he'll be too attractive for any of his roles to seem authentic. Then again, his character was born into the Southern upper class, a social stature notorious for creating attractive facades (symbolically or physically). In that sense, one can argue that Law was the perfect choice to portray that character.
The story in and of itself is fairly straightforward. Taking place during the first half of the 1950s, it involves Burden being personally hired by Stark to gather information on Judge Irwin (Anthony Hopkins), Burden's beloved godfather. It would seem that Irwin is attempting to have Stark impeached; his ideas on helping the working class and the poor are threatening to the rich, especially since they involve a fair number of building projects. By digging into Irwin's past and finding fault with his character, Stark hopes he can turn the tables in his favor. This doesn't sit too well with Burden, who knows the old man will never budge once his mind is made up.
This indirectly connects to another of Stark's political agendas. He hopes to build Louisiana's finest medical facility and staff it with the best doctors and nurses the state has to offer. Here enters Adam Stanton (Mark Ruffalo), Burden's friend since childhood. He's considered a doctor by Stark even though the audience has no way of knowing this to be true; not only is Stanton's personality incompatible with that of a classic doctor character, he's also never seen in a hospital, a clinic, or even in a dramatic medical situation. The best we're given is his history, both with his sister, Anne (Kate Winslet), and with Burden. The details are sketchy at best, but it would seem that the three of them spent quite a bit of time together as children, and they continued to remain close as they grew older.
This aspect of the story was the most baffling because it had little if anything to do with Stark's political aspirations. At times, it felt like I was watching scenes from a completely different movie. One especially telling flashback sequence shows Burden and Anne alone in an upstairs bedroom. The sexual tension is overwhelming, for both them and the audience. It was a good scene, but it was also completely different in tone from the rest of the film. Burden's back-story didn't feel contrived so much as it seemed altogether out of touch with the plot. It was as if another story idea found its way into the screenplay of "All the King's Men." Maybe another movie needed to be made, one that would focus solely on the relationship between Jack Burden and Anne Stanton. It probably would have been just as interesting. It only needed the chance to fully develop.
The same can be said for Adam, who felt as enigmatic as a complete stranger. His current situation hints at a severe depression; according to both Burden and Anne, he's becoming increasingly reclusive. An explanation for such an emotional decline would have been nice, considering it would dramatically add to the story. Alas, one is never given, and that ultimately serves to turn Ruffalo's character into an excuse for filler material. He has a couple of tense conversations with Burden as well as with Stark, who he fears is using him as a pawn in an ever-deepening sea of political corruption. When you factor in Stanton's importance during the final scene, you'll understand why it was wrong for his character to be so unknown.
I really wanted to like "All the King's Men," especially when another notable Sean Penn performance is at stake. Unfortunately, far too much is left in the dark, especially in terms of characterization. Besides Adam Stanton, there are a slew of other properly introduced characters that are ultimately discarded. These include Burden's mother (Kathy Baker), the corrupt Tiny Duffy (James Gandolfini), the perpetually skeptical Sadie Burke (Patricia Clarkson), and Sugar Boy (Jackie Earle Haley), Stark's chauffer and bodyguard. Even the more defined characters are too mysterious to allow the story to sink in. Strong performances are given for characters that aren't completely fleshed out, a flaw that made this film almost intolerable.
How sad for Robert Penn Warren. If he were alive today, he'd probably be shocked at the notion of a Pulitzer Prize winner not being enough for a decent film adaptation. If I were in his place, I'd be shocked, too.
Description of All the King's Men (Special Edition)
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)
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