Review of All the King's Men (1949) by Diana S — 19 Jan 2008

It seems that I'm always behind.

[b]Eastern Promises[/b], David Cronenberg ("A History of Violence")'s latest reteaming with Viggo Mortensen ("Alatriste") is another glorious film. Though not as close to perfection as A History of Violence, the film is very interesting, suspenseful and thoughtful. Also, Mortensen has some really awesome tattoos. Naomi Watts ("The Painted Veil") stars as a nurse trying to find the family of a young pregnant girl who died in her hospital. This leads her to the Russian mob, for whom Viggo works. Because it's Cronenberg, there's some gore and it's not always easy to watch. But it's worth it.

[b]The Kite Runner[/b] gave me some trouble because I read the book first. And, of course, the film is not as good. The story focuses on Amir and his childhood friend, Hassan. Amir is taken out of Afghanistan by his father when he is young, but must return as an adult to help Hassan and his son. The story is touching and horrible at the same time, especially the scenes with the young boys. But it just felt to me that something was missing in this translation of book to screen. Some of the magic of the friendship between the two boys, and the adult Amir's pain at going back to confront his ghosts. Still, this is worth the watch.

[b].

All the King's Men[/b] had the basis for genius, and maybe that's why I'm being so hard on it. Based on a fabulous book, the story had already seen one really good adaptation in 1949. This film is just a mess. A cast of outstanding actors, including Sean Penn ("The Interpreter") and Kate Winslet ("The Holiday") is just wasted in this muddled adaptation. I kept wondering how writer/director Steven Zaillian ("A Civil Action") could have made such a mess considering the actors and source material with which he had to work. Just a waste.