All the King's Men (Special Edition) | Sean Penn, Jude Law

All the King's Men (Special Edition) | Sean Penn, Jude Law | All the King's Men

DVDs:

All the King's Men...

	All the King's Men (Special Edition) Sean Penn, Jude Law Sony Pictures, 2006 average customer review:based on 67 reviews view larger image
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Adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's classic novel All the King's Men about the rise of a politician who loses his integrity as he becomes more powerful.Features:Featurette (Making-of featurette; The Legend and Lore of Huey Long; NY Event featurette; On-location featuretteInterview(s) (with the cast)System Requirements:Run Time: 128 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG - 13 UPC: 043396114364 Manufacturer No: 11436

The Penn Is Mightier Than The Bored

Judgment is frequently tainted by expectation, and clearly, high expectations caused many viewers to mug this splendid movie, or simply miss what makes it great. The problem, of course, is the iconic nature of the source material. The life of Huey "Kingfish" Long, Governor of Louisiana and radical populist, (to say nothing of power-mad, corrupt manipulator), provides its foundation. Long was real Americana, a self-described "hick" that rose to power by speaking for the disenfranchised. The Robert Penn Warren novel, source of the story itself, is a classic, and easily one of the best political sagas in American literature. Unoccupied mansions, bald cypress swamps, and sweltering Louisiana summer nights evoke a prototypical sense of decadence and corruption; beautifully mirroring this tale of moral decay. Add an all-star cast and it's easy to see why audiences arrived at the theatre expecting The Bicycle Thief, or La Strada.

Sean Penn, as Stark - based on Long - is a difficult individual. Like many actors, thinking is his enemy. One has only to watch the appalling Into The Wild, which he directed, to understand this. When Penn thinks, he immediately jumps on a soapbox and grabs a bullhorn, so he can share his half-baked ideology with the masses. This was my greatest fear about ATKM, that Penn would use it as a "tutorial." Happily, he resists this impulse and simply disappears into the part, making it thoroughly believable. And boy does he have help! The amazing cast includes Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Particia Clarkson, James Gandolfini, and Kathy Baker - Baker is exceptional. The film does what films do best; it takes you to another place and time, depositing you in front of Town Hall to fend for yourself. Wonderful.

The story is told from the perspective of the Jude Law character, Jack Burden. Jack is an observer, one foot in, one foot out. His conflict, his torture, is the heart of this film. Alcoholism and despair make it possible for him to pretend he hasn't made a choice; that he is simply sitting on a fence. But everyone in this film is somewhere on the moral spectrum, even Stark is not entirely bad and Judge Irwin is not entirely good. It is the moral complexity of living in a gray world that sets these people adrift, and they are drawn into painful places. Law, a consistently underrated actor, is excellent throughout, as is Mark Ruffalo who wears his moral oblivion like an overcoat. "If you don't vote, you don't matter," says Stark, and he's right. Haunting words when one considers that even today very few Americans go to the trouble of picking their leaders.

An exceptionally well-made film with themes that never go out of style. Highly recommended.

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All the King's Men

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

Two Hours Too Short

If you have not read the book, you could be excused for being terribly confused about plot, character motivation, and the need for side commentary. Jack's relationship with the Stantons (Adam and Anne)and their eventual relationship with Stark is hopelessly botched. It is as if these crucial characters were thrown in for atmosphere. The film captures none of the depth or emotional energy of the book. I just can't believe that Sadie Burke could be this miscast. Everything about this character is wrong. In my opinion, the greatest problem with this movie is that it tries to fit 4 hours of great story into 2.

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Not nearly as good as the original but fine

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.

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