All The King's Men (2006)
In 1950s Louisiana, humble populist Willie Stark (Penn) is elected governor with the help of working class yobs. He gets together a team of colleagues to face the opposition of the upper class. But when he instructs them to dig up some dirt on the influential Judge (Hopkins), things begin to unravel. The destructive forces of corruption and betrayal bring him to his knees. The film is based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and boasts an amazing cast.
2006128 minsGermany, USA
Drama
- Director:
- Stephen Zaillian ('A Civil Action', 'Searching For Bobby Fischer')
- Writer:
- Stephen Zaillian
- Cast:
- Sean PennJude LawAnthony HopkinsKate WinsletMark RuffaloPatricia ClarksonJames Gandolfini
All The King's Men (2006) | Reviews
The New York Times
Nothing in the picture works. It is both overwrought and tedious, its complicated narrative bogging down in lyrical voiceover, long flashbacks and endless expository conversations between people speaking radically incompatible accents...
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Hollywood Reporter
Audience can certainly find entertainment in this movie, so long as no one takes things too seriously. One suspects, however, that Zaillian and a vast team of producers and executive producers that includes political consultant and pundit James Carville believe they are making a serious commentary on American politics. It comes closer to kitsch...
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Los Angeles Times
Zaillian (an Oscar winner for his "Schindler's List" screenplay) has given us an intricate, subtly rewarding narrative whose uncompromising nature and undeniable moral seriousness make it far from business as usual, even in the ever-decreasing world of quality Hollywood filmmaking...
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Empire Magazine
A frustrating experience. It's beautifully shot, acted and designed, but there's little cohesion in the story. Maybe one day we'll see a better cut, but for now this is a sadly fumbled opportunity...
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BBC
Instead of exploring the ties that bind the three men, Zaillian blurs focus and allows Jack to drift into idle meditations about the way things were and might have been - especially regarding his 'innocent' love for a society girl (Kate Winslet)...
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