Review of All the King's Men (2006) by Ivan D — 26 May 2010

Sean Penn's performance was over-the-top, with Broderick Crawford from the original best picture winner giving the better one. But no one can doubt Penn's absolute energy as an actor and as a presence in the screen.

What I severely did not like about this remake was the suddenness of Willie Stark's(Sean Penn) transformation from a clean-cut do-gooder to a corrupt politician. The film itself, although having an impressive photography, fails to capture the original's change of tones, as it relied on the gloomy atmosphere all too soon.

I liked the way how director Steve Zaillian extended and deepened the Jack Burden character, and seeing all of it through his eyes, but the preaching narrations were too much. If there is one thing that has improved from the original, it is the (SPOILERS) scene of Willie Stark's assassination.

Along with the beautiful orchestration of the said scene, again, there's no actor that can portray the anguish of physical pain and the "what has become of me?" facial expression quite like Sean Penn.