All The King's Men won Best Picture back in 1949 and it kind of sums up the format of the distilled half-rousing political Oscar bait type movies we still get today. It's a pretty good film, as are many of the films that followed it, but it's one that could have been great with a bit more boldness and focus. It's a cramped film, and that's a blessing and a curse. It gives it atmosphere, but there's no depth. The frame is always cramped, the film is constantly bombarding you with engaging sequences and the ensemble is bloated. Each are quite entertaining and interesting on their own but its whiplash pace makes something that should hold more weight feel light instead. The ferocious performances from its Oscar winning leads make up for it though and ideally facilitate the melodrama, if not add any dimensions to the characters. Unfortunately the empty lead was a complete waste of space. I'm not sure if he was even necessary. But otherwise, All The King's Men is a very good film about the folly of power, but you can find better in more ambitious and timely classics such as Citizen Kane and Network.
7/10
7/10