All the Kings Men

 

 

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i was mesmerized by this film from the beginning.i thought the story was great,i as was the writing.the dialogue was also well written.especially the first fiery speech given by Broderick Crawford's character,Willie Stark.i can find no fault with the acting,especially Crawford.i thought he was brilliant.i couldn't take my eyes off him.talk about a powerhouse performance.the movie really packs a powerful wallop to the stomach.the story of political corruption and greed is just as topical(if not more so)today and could easily be based on one of many of our present day politicians.would the film be as good without the brilliant performance of Broderick Crawford.we'll never know.and that's just fine.for me,All the King's Men is a (1949) is a 5/5

select group of actors who peak early in their career. In his case it is 1949, he won an Oscar, & never again got close. Eventually Crawford moved to the small screen where we,of a certain age, remember him on "Highway Patrol". But his best was better than most. His character, in All the King's Men, is Willie Stark, an idealistic, honest, populist politician bucking the system. He is also ambitious & seeing his opportunity, seizes it. His greed, lust for power & ego run amok & turn him into the very thing he had fought against only worse. He corrodes everything & everybody he touches & comes to a fitting end a 'la Huey Long, the man on which the film & presumably the book were loosely based. Highly recommended for all who like this style of political noir or junkies.

All the Kings Men(Released Nov/49)was Broderick Crawford's shining moment as he took the best actor award away that year for his role as Willie Stark.His co-star Mercedes McCambridge as Sadie also snatched the best supporting actress node.Out of the remaining five nominations it took another OSCAR and that was for overall best motion picture.It is still easy to see why as the film still packs a powerful punch.The story is loosely based on Louisiana Governor Huey Long's rise to power and it is a look at how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The story begins,as does the main characters',in humble backgrounds.A rural boy comes to the city(Willie Stark)in order to fight those that would subvert the political system for their own crooked gains.Naive about the "game" he is playing he is cajoled and bullied by his opponents.His seemingly honest attempts to do something for the people and their plight gets the attention of the state capitols newspaper which sends a man to check it out,one Jack Burden(John Ireland).Stark loses round one but the more he gets his hands dirty in the political arena the tougher he gets.He goes on a bender after hearing that the very people who have been financing and steering his campaign are just using him to split votes in order for their real choice to get in.At a rally the next day a hungover but new born Stark throws away his wooden speeches and comes out swinging.From this moment on all bets are off and Stark,although losing the election,doesn't let the grass grow under his feet.He goes to college and gets a BA in law and opens up his own practice as a lawyer.When the re-elections come around again he is more than ready to start the fight all over again;this time with a new fire.
Stark's rural ideas become a thing of the past and his disguised feelings for the little guy or "hicks" become just a cover for his real personal ambitions.His methodology has become the same or worse than the very people he first campaigned against from the beginning.
The newspaper man who first covered Stark is now on his payroll,as are many of the very people who tried to squelch Stark from the beginning.He says he keeps them around to remind himself of what he had to overcome,but it is by all appearances something else;to use those same and very corrupt hands to do his dirty work.Along for the ride is rough and tough Sadie who falls in love with Stark as does Jack Burden's own girlfriend,all the while using his own wife and adopted son as pawns for political gain(nothing ever changes)whenever the occasion calls for it.Stark by now has given a plum job to a prominent judge as Attorney General and a plum position for a doctor as head of the new Stark Hospital,both close friends of Burdens.Time however reveals the ugly truth behind Starks motives not only to these men but to all of Starks staff.When the judge backs a motion at the state capitol for now-Governor Stark's impeachment Stark confronts him with evidence of a wrong doing many years before that he had forgotten about.Stark wants the judge to call off the vote then and there but the judge tells Stark he will get his answer in the morrow.While Stark and Burden are outside of the room talking and about to leave a shot rings out and they find the judge has committed suicide.Problem solved for Stark.
Things go from bad to worse however as the impeachment hearings at the state capitol resume.Stark has called on his henchmen to get the "hicks" out in support and they do.The plaza around the capitol building is jammed with humanity.The vote comes in and Stark,as would be expected,comes out in triumph and makes a speech.However out from the shadows of the capitol steps comes the distraught doctor who guns down Stark,who in turn is gunned down by police.Stark has flown too close to the sun and his wings of wax have melted sending him plummeting to earth and his inevitable death.
Crawford's performance is mesmerizing throughout.Mind you with this Pulitzer prize winning book and resultant script,how could he have missed? McCambridge gives a very memorable performance as the tough as nails Sadie,with a yearning for the grace and beauty of other women that she will never have.The entire cast is solid in fact and watch for performances by by Paul Ford as the Senator that instigates the impeachment process;you may recall him better as Sgt Bilko's Colonel Hall.Also watch for Bert Hanlon as the newspaper editor,he is the self same actor who appeared as the plastic surgeon in Bogies film Dark Passage.
Technically speaking this print has quite a few surface flaws,dirt specks,scratches,etc..It could use a good cleaning(even though it says it has been remastered in Hi-Def!),but overall the picture is quite crisp.It is full frame a/r(as it should be) and the only extras are two trailers for the tepid 2006 remake,which is very odd indeed.
All in all a very good film that deserved every award it got in /49.It is a must have.Recommended.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary
The book is infinitely better. Robert Penn Warren wrote a deep and subtle story about the American dream, morals and desires of early 20th century America. Read more

Published on Jun 27 2004 by J

2.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment.
What can I say -- I found this film to be so incredibly trite, so simple were its morals and weak its characterization. Read more

Published on Jun 1 2004 by C.J. Hustwick

4.0 out of 5 stars The classic still packs a punch
I'm not much for political movies and thrillers, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this old classic still packs a considerable punch. Read more

Published on Jan 15 2004 by magellan

3.0 out of 5 stars WIN WITH WILLIE - POLITICS AND CORRUPTION; What A Novel Mix!
"All The King's Men" is the political melodrama that swept the Oscars and made actor, Broderick Crawford a household name. Read more

Published on Oct 25 2003 by Nix Pix

2.0 out of 5 stars Distressingly unfaithful adaptation of a classic novel
Attention high school English students everywhere! Do NOT use this video to cram the night before the big test and expect to pass. Read more

Published on Jan 26 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars In Spite of Flaws, This Political Noir Is Still Powerful
There are certain subjects that films in general and Hollywood in particular never handled very well--and chief among them are politics. Read more

Published on Jun 8 2002 by Gary F. Taylor

4.0 out of 5 stars The film is good, but a weak substitute for the book!
Starring Broderick Crawford as Willie Stark, the charismatic politician whose story is based on the life of Huey Long, this film was nominated for seven academy awards in 1949... Read more

Published on Jan 21 2002 by Linda Linguvic

5.0 out of 5 stars Lord Acton is Right Again
All the King's Men is a wonderful movie about the corrupting effect of politics. It is a little abrupt in its transitions and glosses over the honest man becoming a demogogue to... Read more

Published on Jun 15 2001 by Ricky Hunter

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Written and Expertly Acted Film About Politics!
This film is a fascinating study of the political process. It depicts the rise and fall of a Huey Long-like character, from his idealized beginning to his slow descent into... Read more

Published on Jun 20 2000 by Bertin Ramirez

5.0 out of 5 stars The movie is based on a work of fiction
"All the King's Men" is an adaptation of the Robert Penn Warren novel, not an actual account of the life of Huey Long. Read more

Published on Mar 23 2000 by S. Whittemore

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