All the King's Men (2006)

Based on the Robert Penn Warren novel. The life of populist Southerner Willie Stark, a political creature loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana.

Director:

Steven Zaillian

Writers:

Steven Zaillian (screenplay), Robert Penn Warren (novel)

Stars:

Sean Penn, Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Penn	...	Willie Stark
Jude Law	...	Jack Burden
Anthony Hopkins	...	Judge Irwin
Kate Winslet	...	Anne Stanton
Mark Ruffalo	...	Adam Stanton
Patricia Clarkson	...	Sadie Burke
James Gandolfini	...	Tiny Duffy
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Sugar Boy
Kathy Baker	...	Mrs. Burden
Talia Balsam	...	Lucy Stark
Travis Champagne	...	Tom Stark (as Travis M. Champagne)
Frederic Forrest	...	Willie's Father (as Frederic F. Forrest)
Paul Desmond	...	Slade
Kevin Dunn	...	Alex
Thomas McCarthy	...	Editor (as Tom McCarthy)

Storyline

In the 50's, in Louisiana, the smart populist, manipulative and wolf hick Willie Stark is elected governor with the support of the lower social classes. He joins a team composed of his bodyguard and friend Sugar Boy; the journalist from an aristocratic family Jack Burden; the lobbyist Tiny Duffy; and his mistress Sadie Burke, to face the opposition of the upper classes. When the influent Judge Irwin supports a group of politicians in their request of impeachment, Stark assigns Jack to find some dirtiness along the life of Irwin, leading to a tragedy in the end.

---

Plot Keywords:

louisiana | governor | politician | mistress | journalist | 

---

Taglines:

Time brings all things to light.

---

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for an intense sequence of violence, sexual content and partial nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [fr] Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les fous du roi

Filming Locations:

Albania Plantation - 1842 LA 182 E., Jeanerette, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,672,366 (USA) (22 September 2006)

Gross:

$7,221,458 (USA) (13 October 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Relativity Media, Phoenix Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Voted #1 by Forbes magazine as the biggest flop in the years spanning 2005-2009. The movie lost US$46 million (when subtracting box office from the movie's cost).

---

Goofs

In the final scene as Willie Stark and Sugar Boy are going down in an elevator, modern fire suppression lights and related equipment can clearly be seen.

---

Quotes

Sadie Burke: The world is full of sluts on skates.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.40 (2010)

---

Soundtracks

"In a Deep Mood"
Written and Performed by Keb' Mo'
Keb' Mo' appears courtesy of Epic/Okeh Records

User Reviews

Actually The Canadians Are Spot On

This film is actually pretty dreadful on many levels. First the music is thuddingly melodramatic; it's like the producers saw the dailies and said "well...there's not much going on, but we'll fix it with the music". The pacing is often glacial, but most disastrously, the film is FATALLY MISCAST. Sean Penn is screeching and braying as Willie Stark, and during his long speeches about "the hicks" he gestures like John Belushi doing Joe Cocker. He simply is nothing, physically or temperamentally like Huey Long on whom the character is based. On the other hand, I bet Penn would have been great as the journalist Jack Burden, and certainly far superior to the miscast Jude Law who is unbelievable as an investigative journalist. Ironically James Gandolfini gives a good impression of what Willie Stark should be in the secondary role of Tiny Duffy. And Jackie Earle Haley is chilling and most effective with virtually no dialog as Sugarboy, Willie's gunsil. Almost every other actor, Hopkins, Winslet, Ruffalo is wasted in this totally unnecessary remake of a very good 40's film.