“All the King’s Men”
Columbia Pictures
Directed by Steven Zaillian
Starring Sean Penn, Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, James Gandolfini, Jackie Earle Haley and Kathy Baker
Rated PG-13

2 Stars

Boy, can that Sean Penn act!

I mention it only because despite his best efforts, Penn’s latest film, “All the King’s Men” is a real mess of a movie; saddled with a bland supporting cast, misguided production design and a confusing screenplay. Still, I’ve got to admit that Sean Penn is superb, and he could easily merit another Academy Award nomination. He is so energetic that it’s a bit surprising that the rest of the cast wasn’t infected by his passion.

Based on Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, this is the story of Willie Stark (Penn) a Louisiana politician who is modeled on the real life legend of Governor Huey Long. Jude Law plays the alcoholic newspaperman who chronicles Stark’s rise from an idealistic salesman to the most powerful figure on the political landscape. It plays like “Julius Caesar” with a N’awlins drawl.

I’m sure that this is a powerful story in real life, but it just doesn’t come across on film. “All the King’s Men” is strangely dispassionate. Much of the problem lies with our disillusioned narrator, who mumbles his way through the movie, hoping that we won’t notice that his accent is less than Southern. Law, Kate Winslet and Sir Anthony Hopkins are all English, and their sundry accents are frequently off-putting. The same holds true for Tony Soprano, er, James Gandolfini who appears to have been born in New Orleans, New Jersey.

Accents aside, the big problem lies in the storytelling. We don’t get the sense that Stark ever really connects with his poor “hick” supporters and many of the film’s critical events appear to come out of nowhere. I like to think of myself as a somewhat savvy guy, but there are moments in this movie where I didn’t have a clue as to what was going on.

And don’t get me started on the fascist political speeches that look like the Southern branch of the Nazi Party, or the decision to shoot the finale in a self-congratulatory black-and-white. The bottom line is that “All the King’s Men” is confusing and pretentious, despite the best efforts of Sean Penn.


Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News.” He can be found weekly on KAVU-TV and KOLE and KVIC Radio. Additional reviews can be found at www.rottentomatoes.com, www.panews.com or at www.seanthemovieguy.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.