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Movies / On DVD / All The King's Men
All The King's Men

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All The King's Men (2006)

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Reviews Counted:150

Fresh:17

Rotten:133

Average Rating:4.2/10

Consensus: With its star-studded cast and hallowed source material (the novel of the same name won the Pulitzer Prize, and the 1949 original film took home a best picture Oscar), All the King's Men has the pedigree of a prestige picture. Don't be fooled. With a scenery-chewing performance from Sean Penn, an absence of political insight, and an overall lack of narrative cohesiveness, Men gives Oscar bait a bad name.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for an intense sequence of violence, sexual content and partial nudity

Runtime: 2 hrs 21 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:27-10-2006

Synopsis: Based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, All the King's Men tells the story of an idealist's rise to power in the world of Louisiana politics and the corruption that leads... Based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, All the King's Men tells the story of an idealist's rise to power in the world of Louisiana politics and the corruption that leads to his ultimate downfall. Written for the screen, directed and produced by Steven Zaillian, who won an Academy Award® for his adaptation of Schindler's List, All the King's Men features an all-star cast, including Oscar® winner Sean Penn (Mystic River, The Interpreter), Jude Law (Closer), Kate Winslet (Finding Neverland), James Gandolfini (“The Sopranos”), Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April) and Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs). All the King's Men is a complex saga of human nature, power, corruption, idealism, romance and betrayal. Using politics as a framework to delve into the more profound dilemmas of human existence — sin, guilt and redemption — it explores the nature of corruption in a way that is timely and relevant today. Warren's acclaimed exploration of morality was inspired by the career Louisiana governor Huey P. Long and other political demagogues, and has profound effect on contemporary literature. Zaillian's stylized treatment captures the essence of Warren's novel, infusing it with classic noir elements. Columbia Pictures Presents in association with Relativity Media a Phoenix Pictures Production a VIP 3A/VIP 4A Production in association with Rising Star All the King's Men starring Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson and Anthony Hopkins. The film was written for the screen and directed by Steven Zaillian based on the book by Robert Penn Warren. The producers are Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Ken Lemberger and Steven Zaillian. The executive producers are Michael Hausman, David Thwaites, James Carville, Todd Phillips, Andreas Schmid, Andy Grosch and Ryan Kavanaugh. The director of photography is Pawel Edelman. The production designer is Patrizia Von Brandenstein. The film editor is Wayne Wahrman, A.C.E. The costume designer is Marit Allen. The executive music producer is T Bone Burnett. The music is by James Horner. All the King's Men has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for An Intense Sequence of Violence, Sexual Content and Partial Nudity. All the King's Men will be released by Columbia Pictures on September 22, 2006. -- © Sony Pictures [More]

Starring: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Patricia Clarkson, Kate Winslet

Starring: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Patricia Clarkson, Kate Winslet, Kathy Baker, Talia Balsam, James Gandolfini, Jackie Earle Haley, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, Frederic Forrest

Director: Steven Zallian

Director: Steven Zallian
Producer: Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Ken Lemberger, Michael Hausman
Composer: James Horner, T-Bone Burnett
Studio: Columbia Pictures

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Reviews for All The King's Men

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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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.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What should have been an incisive study of the American political scene turns out a lumbering celluloid white elephant.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/30/06
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Penn is terrific and the production values are impressive, but All the King's Men gets lost in a poorly-structured, overly complicated plot that fails to engage.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/28/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/28/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
10/27/06
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

It's a typical politician's tale -- all talk and no action.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/24/06
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a slickly produced film that drowns in convoluted plotting and clumsy characterisations.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/23/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Static and dreary, drained of juice and drenched in "respectable" lighting

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/30/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

"All the King's Men" is a grand scale embarrassment.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/15/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Mesmo que năo o comparemos ao clássico de 49, este filme constrange pelo roteiro confuso, pela montagem artificial, pelas atuaçőes decepcionantes e pela trilha excessiva, salvando-se apenas a bela fotografia.

comment Comment
09/06/08
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

...a lush melodrama about the corruptibility of us all.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

Leaves out too much of the story to really work. Why are these people doing what they're doing? If I hadn't seen the 1949 version first, I would not have known.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/29/07
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

As much an old-fashioned potboiler as it is a political morality tale.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/22/07
Rex Roberts
Rex Roberts
Film Journal International

We have a series of beautiful threads weaved together in such haphazard fashion that, despite their potential, form a surprisingly ugly quilt.

Full Review Source: Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) | comment Comment
12/02/06
Gina Carbone
Gina Carbone
Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine)

The film isn't dreadful: it is just generally disappointing.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
10/26/06
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic

Plays as a veritable autopsy of itself; to watch the movie is to watch it go wrong, to observe the tempting gleam of the film that might have been grow ever dimmer.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
10/14/06
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

What's worse -- a bad remake of a classic film, or just a bad literary adaptation with delusions of grandeur?

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
10/13/06
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

This is a misfire of almost epic proportions, a lavishly produced but wholly hollow and nonsensical adaptation of a magnificently constructed novel.

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
10/08/06
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

a powerful story in real life, but it just doesn’t come across on film.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
10/03/06
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

Even the brightest stars lose their shine in a dull sky.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
10/03/06
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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