All the King's Men (2006)

A great movie

I really liked this movie and I actually saw it before I read the book. Of course the book is better, but this is definitely worth the buy if you like dramas and political dramas at that. The entire cast gave great performances and brought the book to life. I really enjoyed this movie and glad I own it. November 18, 2008

Unfairly maligned

I thought this film was pretty good, despite Jude Law's fake southern accent. 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. The pacing lags a bit, and the dramatic tension is slightly off. But you won't regret spending some time with this. Just don't let it keep you from reading the book. November 1, 2008

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. September 10, 2008

Not Great

It was an ok movie, but i would not watch it again. With the actors in this movie, i exspected better. September 8, 2008

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. August 15, 2008

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