Review of All the King's Men (2006) by Virag V — 05 Oct 2007

Aside from Hopkins and Gandolfini, the casting ranges from clumsy but viable (Jude Law) to completely ludicrous (Sean Penn). Penn's accent is a caricature - it's like watching a humorless Foghorn Leghorn.

The movie shares with the book the unfortunate absence of sympathetic characters, though the book has the advantage of graceful writing, even pacing, and a sincere agenda. The movie is overwrought and heavy-handed, its drama is unearned and even trite, at times.

The Southern Gothic aesthetic is beyond contrived - it's packed into the typical slick Hollywood "realism" casing. Fortunately, Robert Penn Warren's thread is strong enough to make even this pale adaptation watchable through to the end.