All the King's Men (Special Edition) | 
| Director: Steven Zaillian
Actors: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy Used: $0.48
You Save: $14.46 (97%)
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Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 13461
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 128 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: COLD11436D
UPC: 043396114364
EAN: 0043396114364
ASIN: B000K2UGXO
Theatrical Release Date: September 22, 2006
Release Date: December 19, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
ADAPTATION OF ROBERT PENN WARRENS CLASSIC NOVEL ALL THE KINGS MEN, ABOUT THE RISE OF A POLITICIAN, WHO LOSES HIS INTEGRITY AS HE BECOMES MORE POWERFUL.
Amazon.com
Sean Penn gives another powerhouse performance in All the King's Men, leading a topnotch cast in writer-director Steven Zaillian's underrated adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. When you consider that the previous 1949 film version earned well-deserved Academy Awards for director Robert Rossen and actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, it's no surprise that Zaillian's film was expected to earn similar acclaim, but lukewarm critical reception and disappointing box-office gave it the stigma of a noble failure. And while the film (which moves Warren's story from the Depression-era '30s to the early 1950s) suffers from uneven pacing, partial miscasting, and an occasional lack of dramatic tension, it still qualifies as a first-class production that resonates with the timeless relevance of Warren's piercing political classic. Like Broderick before him, Penn is riveting as Louisiana governor Willie Stark, an upstart political dynamo (freely inspired by controversial real-life Louisiana governor Huey P. Long) whose rise to power is ultimately doomed by corruption and betrayal. Jude Law costars as political reporter Jack Burden, our firsthand witness to Stark's rise and inevitable fall; his orbit of political insiders includes a corrupt judge (Anthony Hopkins) with a dark secret to hide; a longtime friend (Mark Ruffalo) and former lover (Kate Winslet) who fall victim to Stark's influence; and political staffers (James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson) who remain powerless against Stark's ill-fated populist juggernaut. At Sean Penn's request, former child star Jackie Earle Haley (from the original Bad News Bears) makes a welcome return to movies as Willie Stark's quietly intense bodyguard, "Sugar-Boy." Coproduced by Louisiana-born political consultant James Carville, filmed on authentic Louisiana locations and boasting all the stately, luxurious production values of a would-be Oscar contender, All the King's Men clearly benefits from Penn's fiery performance and Zaillian's earnest embrace of Warren's still-potent subject matter. And while the film's shortcomings may have prevented it from achieving unanimous acclaim, this is still a serious, well-crafted drama with much to say about the insidious potential for fascism in America, especially when well-meaning politicians lose their souls to power. --Jeff Shannon On the DVD
The special features that accompany All the King's Men further demonstrate the film's in-production status as a potential classic. While the "making of" featurette is perfunctory at best, the other featurettes are definitely worthwhile despite Sean Penn's conspicuous absence. In "Shake Hands with the Devil," the film's cast, producer, and writer-director Steven Zaillian discuss the timeless theme of political corruption; "An American Classic" is a concise profile of Robert Penn Warren, paying tribute to the poet and author's literary achievements; and "The Legend and Lore of Huey Long" examines the life and legacy of the still-beloved governor who won the hearts of working-class Louisianans while falling prey to his own ambition. "LA Confidential" is a brief featurette about the film's use of authentic Louisiana locations and the positive effect they had on cast and crew; three deleted scenes were obviously cut from the film for purposes of time, yet offer ample proof of Zaillian's established skill as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters; and the alternate ending extends beyond the film's final shot, with a funeral scene that serves as a melancholy (and ultimately unnecessary) coda to the film's Greek-tragic drama. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 67 more reviews...
Robert (Sean) Penn Warren's All the King's Men March 18, 2009
Chad A. B. Wilson (Houston, TX)
Reading Robert Penn Warren's 1946 novel All the King's Men [2006 Movie Tie-In Edition] is like riding an academic roller coaster through early twentieth century politics. The narrator, Jack Burden, is a student of history, and his journey through life illustrates the character of Willie Stark, the Boss, the Governor of whichever southern state it actually takes place in. Burden's narration is lush, vivid, and sometimes bogs down in its own detailed prose as it describes the landscapes and peoplescapes, even delving into philosophical ramblings about the meaning of a specifically placed finger or a supposed wink.
The book, frankly, borders on genius. It's a difficult read, sure, but it's a great story. It's the narration and description that makes it so good, though, not necessary the story itself. We come to know the characters only through that narration, but they are fully realized by the end.
The 2006 movie doesn't have those strengths. It tries to make a standard story out of the difficult prose and narrative. Not that it makes the novel strictly linear, but it leaves out all of the interesting philosophical meanderings. Jude Law (Jack Burden) tries to insert some of the stuff about the Friend of your Youth (one of the philosophical inserts) into the movie, but it falls flat because we don't get enough of it to fully appreciate it. All of the characters are that way, too: they're all one-sided, even bordering on stock characters.
We do see some brilliance in Sean Penn's Wille Stark, however, at least when he is giving speeches. When he comes out of his shell and attempts to connect with the world, his speeches are good. Watching this movie in 2009 is a strange experience, however, for we have seen the inauguration of Barack Obama, whose speeches sometimes mirrored those of Willie Stark, although his aren't nearly as mean-spirited. Stark represents the new kind of politician that cares for the people and wants to get rid of money-riddled politics. Instead, he wants to do good, even though he will still use corruption, for it is only through bad that good can ever come (at least according to Stark).
We have some good themes here, but most of them are minor. The primary theme is about the purpose of political life and whether politics can remain above the fray. The movie hints that politics is about service, but it cannot be above anything. Instead, it is as debased as any other human endeavor. Therefore, the very nature of political service is debased.
I'm not sure if the movie can be appreciated without having read the novel, for the plot gets a bit confusing, but the theme about politics and service is still evident. Watch it for that alone, but only if you generally vote Democrat. I guess a Republican can enjoy it, too, for it points out that even "idealists" are flawed and are really just as corrupt as any politicians.
Not As Good As The Original January 30, 2009
Michael B. Druxman (Austin, TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949) is certainly one of the best movies about American politics ever produced. Adapted by director Robert Rossen from Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which was inspired by the career of Louisiana's demagogue governor, Huey Long, it won Oscars for Best Picture, Actor (Broderick Crawford) and Supporting Actress (Mercedes McCambridge).
When I first heard that Columbia Pictures was going to remake this classic film, I thought they were nuts. After all, no matter how good the new version might be, it would always be competing with the memory of the original which is shown regularly on TV and is also available on DVD.
Despite a stellar all-star cast and a handsome production, the 2006 remake of ALL THE KING'S MEN was met with a mixed, often negative, critical reaction and flopped at the box-office.
Nevertheless, I wanted to judge this film for myself.
The good news is that writer-director Steven Zaillian's film is not the total disaster that some critics have labeled it. It has many strong points and is definitely worth a look.
The bad news is that it is not as good as the original 1949 version.
The 1949 film was neither time, nor place, specific, but this new version does an excellent job in recreating Depression-era Louisiana. It is also closer to Warren's original book than was Rossen's screenplay.
Among the more memorable performances are Jude Law, as Jack Burden, the role originated by John Ireland in 1949, Patricia Clarkson as Sadie Burke (the Mercedes McCambridge role) and Jackie Earle Haley as Sugar Boy, Governor Willie Stark's bodyguard.
Aside from a sometimes sluggish pace, the movie's main failing is the miss-casting of Sean Penn in the central role of Willie Stark.
Penn is one of our finest actors and he does his best in this assignment, but he, unfortunately, lacks the charisma that Crawford brought to the role in the original.
Penn's Willie is just not likable, and I don't see how he could convince his constituents to vote for him.
Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Kathy Baker and Mark Ruffalo are also in the cast.
Michael B. Druxman
 Excellent January 1, 2009
Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It may be that judgment colored the comments of most reviewers but whatever colored them, the negative comments are washed away by superb acting and an overwhelmingly fine presentation of a place, era, and way of thinking probably foreign to most viewers, even from the U.S.
Very possibly, as reviewer El Lagarto points out, a central problem is also "the iconic nature of the source material," namely, the biography of corrupt populist Louisiana governor, Huey "Kingfish" Long---the man who called himself a "hick" and rose up by addressing other "hicks"---many of whom had never voted before. I blush to tell, I've never read the famed Robert Penn Warren novel on which this film is based.
But the movie perfectly captures the oppressively hot, humid Louisiana climate, along with the perennially corrupt political environment that endured throughout the 20th century and into our own era. It also precisely frames the grand antebellum plantation houses, wide lawns, live oak-lined dirt drives and swamps of south Louisiana, where the population is concentrated---along with the decadence for which New Orleans, from its very establishment, has always been deservedly renowned.
The Willie Stark that Sean Penn manufactures is a Huey Long-look alike, and is totally believable. He has the accent, the swagger, and the deep south dead pan down cold, along with the ability to spin a highly colorful yarn based on a highly colorful southern analogy. There's no modern politics in this part. It's late 1920s and early 1930s Louisiana, the whole way. In context.
That's undoubtedly another problem for most viewers. The environment established so firmly in this amazing political story is that it is so foreign to that of current-day U.S. population centers. Apparently, few people can believe that anything like it ever existed in the U.S. But Louisiana has always been something of a world unto itself, and this was especially true during the Huey Long era.
The actors, listed above, all contribute to the full-scale replication of that complex world, where a gentleman's honor and appearance account for almost everything. Most of the main characters (good guys and bad, alike) thus live beyond the reach of morality---power-hungry, afflicted with alcoholism, or eternally laboring to hide their personal shame or dirty laundry.
This film's negative reception was totally unwarranted. Overall, it's an amazing dramatic accomplishment. For more than two hours, the movie held us rapt in another time, and a thoroughly fascinating place.
--Alyssa A. Lappen
 A great movie November 18, 2008
Heather (Illinois, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Unfairly maligned November 1, 2008
Bradley F. Smith (Miami Beach, FL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
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