Despite myself (I am one of many who thinks Sean Penn is full of himself and need a break from the screen), I do think the man gave a startlingly good performance as governor Willie Starks. James Gandolfini, Anthony Hopkins, Mark Ruffalo, and Jude Law all gave deft performances as well. Kate Winslet was unusually weak in this movie, but what really ruined the film for me was the odd, almost strange directing. There are camera shots that will make you cringe (at least a two second pause on a shaking chandelier after Hopkins raises his voice); the symbolism is very, very obvious and so it loses its credibility; and finally, the film tries to be too dramatic. Dramatic music plays while Sean Penn delivers speeches, there are dramatically loud chords signaling a shift in mood characteristic of 80's horror movies. I rated this movie a 7, because it is powerful, and because it is important, but its fatal flaw lies in that it attempts to be far grander and far larger than it really is.
Review of All the King's Men
