Dreadful (and yeah spoilers I guess)

I heard this movie was lackluster, but that didn't turn out to be the case. It was dreadful.

In the crucial turning point of the 1949 version of All The Kings Men, Willie Stark has to make....well....a stark transition. We are introduced to someone who has a somewhat milquetoast demeanor, yet earnest ambition to do good for the powerless of his state. Suddenly our protagonist turns on a dime and is depicted as a politically savvy, corrupt, and ruthless opportunist who does things for the people to serve an ever increasing appetite for power and self-grandeur.

In the original directed by Robert Rossen, we are given a fairly thorough exposition of the "good" Willie Stark. He is seemingly a heroic figure, as we are given no reason to think he isn't what he presents himself to be in the beginning. His family are just as decent as he appears to be. His love for them, and their love and admiration for him ring true.


But then the change to Willie’s persona comes, and we are left a bit incredulous. What in hell happened? Had Willie been that way all along? Was he pretending to be a good man who had been waiting for just the right moment all along, after harboring dreams of power and prestige held deep within even as young man slopping hogs? Was he really a good man who after years of being ineffectual had his psyche snapped and his core nature changed irrevocably after discovering he was simply hired to be a patsy to split votes? The original movie doesn’t answer that question, but perhaps that is to its advantage. Pondering these things after the credits roll leaves you steeped in the film. There is a distinct difference between a movie that leaves you scratching your head, and one whose mysteries continue to provoke wonder.

And back to Willie’s family. The original movie has them as ever present and crucial characters. There is increasingly tense and sad interplay between Willie and them as they wonder (exactly as we do) if this man simply changed, or if they ever really new him at all.

In the new version of the film the “good” Willie Stark seems gone faster than you can drink a bottle of orange pop through two straws. The question of who this man truly was...why he changes...isn't really provoked because we don't have a chance to absorb his former demeanor. Yeah he's there early on, but he doesn't really exude goodness so much as a subdued quality. This is a film that is for all intents and purposes is about the “bad” Willie Stark. There is no attention given to how the relationship he had with his family evolved or detiorated, because they are given little more than cameos. The interaction Willie has with his son consists of him congratulating him for catching a football. Willie’s wife is given even less consideration. She may have posed with him a nanosecond or two, but is given far less time than even the Judge’s fancy slingshot.

Jude Law stays with Willie until quitting moments before Stark's demise. Why he becomes affixed to him professionally, and why he stays with him is a question. Unfortunately the screenplay gives us little to work with to form theories. Ultimately he seems to be there because the story demands he be there.

Then there's the Judge. He's a kindly chap, played by a brilliant actor who speaks with a British accent. He plays with the aforementioned slingshot and then eventually shoots himself after its discovered he did something bad a long time ago. I never for one second think I am looking at a Judge. This is just Anthony Hopkins appearing in a flashy big production.

Kate Winslet’s character apparently has an affair with Willie Stark. We see little happen between the two that would gradually raise our suspicion. It’s just matter-of-factly brought to our attention at the end of the movie that they are getting it on. It’s part of the original story you know.

Mark Ruffallo is the doctor. His character is terribly drab, but in all fairness, it’s thinly written. Ditto as far as Willie’s female assistant (don’t remember the name) is concerned.

Finally there is Sean Penn, who plays the obnoxious and nasty Willie Stark. He plays him to the hilt. Hammy and one-dimensional. I personally don’t like Sean Penn all that well, but he is undeniably a superb actor. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have to blame, you guessed it, the writing.

The music is quite dramatic. It tries to convince you that you are watching a great film. The cinematography aspires to do that too. They both fail.

Dreadful.