All the King's Men

The second film to be based on Robert Penn Warren’s political novel—the first won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1949—is a complete mess from start to finish. Considering the talent involved with this production, it’s amazing how inconsistent the quality is in almost every department, from the acting to the writing. Director Steven Zaillian, who won an Oscar for penning Schindler’s List and is himself a competent filmmaker (A Civil Action, Searching for Bobby Fischer), seems to be completely bored with the story. His lack of passion for the material certainly shows on screen and it’s a shame in view of the stellar cast that he has assembled. To be fair, there are several moments that work quite well, even beautifully in a few cases. But they are lost amidst an ocean of scenes that are strung together in the shoddiest manner, dispelling any semblance of cohesion or focus. Midway through the film, one cannot help but ask, “What is going on, and do I really care?” The acting vacillates from good (Hopkins, Ruffalo and Penn in some instances) to downright laughable (Gandolfini, Winslet and Penn in other instances). Most of the film relies on the typically reliable Jude Law who, like Zaillian, seems to have decided to sleepwalk through this one.

Directed by Steven Zaillian.
Written by Steven Zaillian.
Starring Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson and Anthony Hopkins.

Rated PG-13 for an intense sequence of violence, sexual content and partial nudity. 141 min.

** so says The Fish