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.

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Plot Keywords:

louisiana | governor | politician | mistress | journalist | 

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Taglines:

Time brings all things to light.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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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

Meryl Streep was originally cast as Sadie Burke, but had to back out due to schedule conflicts.

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Goofs

In the final scene, a newspaper is dated Sunday, April 22, 1954. April 22, 1954 was a Thursday.

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Quotes

Jack Burden: You only get a couple of moments that determine your life. Sometimes only one. And then it's gone. Forever.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

"Seduction of the Virgin Princess"
Written by Morris Levy and 'Bill Grundy (II)'
Performed by Sonny Lester & His Orchestra
Courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

All The King's Men

I saw the New Orleans premiere of this movie, and my friends and I all thought it was amazing. The way it was written by Zaillian (straight off of the book, not an adaptation of the previous movie) was great. And the cinematography added so much to it. Sean Penn is an amazing actor, and that really shows through in the role of Willie Stark. It was kind of funny to watch Anthony Hopkins use an extremely bad Louisiana-British accent. I am a fan of history, so lots of little things worked their way in to amuse me. And seeing New Orleans things and knowing right where they are was a great thing. I recommend people go see this movie, as I plan to go again on Friday when it opens officially.