All the King's Men
2006
**
Director: Steven Zaillian
Cast: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Anthony Hopkins, Thomas Falterman
Willie Stark, a self-proclaimed hick, is elected the governor of Louisiana on a populist vote. Jack Burden, a reporter who was initially captivated by this idealistic truth-teller, becomes his aide and witnesses the instantaneous corruptive effect of power. Robert Penn Warren' Pulitzer Prize winning novel was modelled on the real-life governor Huey Long, and the previous adaptation in 1949 won multiple Academy Awards. Back in those days the story may have seemed a groundbreakingly cynical look at politics, now it feels like yesterday's news. Steven Zaillian's dry update moves the setting from the 1930s to the 1950s, for no apparent reason, and his entire film has an air of phonyness to it. The people on the screen act like characters in a pre-scripted melodrama rather than living, breathing human beings with free wills. The cast is very impressive, but there isn't a single memorable performance.
