All the King's men

Sean Penn has been one of my most favorite actors for a long time now. Late one night a few years ago, I saw a little known movie called She's so Lovely, where Sean Penn plays the role of a guy who has an extremely violent and emotional relationship with his girl friend. Eventually, he becomes deranged, gets cured and comes back to get his girl who's now happily married with a kid to John Travolta. And just when you're expecing him to fade in the dark, you're shaken out of your senses when you find out that the woman loved Penn so passionately that she's ready to give up her husband, kid and comfortable existence to go back to him. The intensity that Penn brought to this character was unbelievable. Ofcourse, there have been many other memorable movies since then like I am Sam (for which he should have easily won the Oscar instead of the Mystic River eyewash) or the more recent 21 Grams.

So ofcourse, I was looking forward to watching All the King's Men despite the negative reviews and critics panning Penn's performance as the hand-waving anti-establishment Governer of Louisiana, Willie Stark. And needless to say, the movie and Penn did not let me down. Yes, Penn was a little over the top. But that was in keeping with his character Willie who rises from a hick town in Louisiana to become its controversial Governer. He wants to help the people and fight the rich oil and gas companies. He wants to take the money from the hands of the rich to build roads, highways, schools, universities and free hospitals for those who can't afford it. He's passionate about the cause and will do anything to get there. In his own words, he will cut down anyone that comes in the way of him and his people's rights. His speeches are fiery, venomous and hair-raising. In private, he's a man who's slowly losing his values - he takes up drinking, womanizing and double-dealing to get what he wants. In the process, he pushes too many wrong buttons that finally leads to his demise. Sean Penn has done an amazing job in bringing this intriguing personality to the screen. Rather than being distracting, his hand waving in fact shows his character as passionate and full of zest. His southern accent is so natural that you forget he was actually born in California. He delivers a powerful performance that will leave you applauding.

The most surprising part of this movie, for me, was Jude Law's portrayal as Jack Burden, who narrates the story in his own words. Here's a guy who comes from the old rich, he's a celebrated journalist and someone who does not really believe in anything except himself. And somehow, he finds himself getting fascinated with Willy, starts believing in him and shares his vision. When he tells Willie "I don't work for you for love or for the money", Willie simply replies with a smile "I know why you work for me Jack. You work for me because I am the way I am and you are the way you are". Its a pretty loaded statement if you consider the context. Not always a big fan of Jude Law, I will probably have to start respecting him more after this role. He downplays it so well, but is always there reflecting your own opinion. Anytime something dramatic happens in the movie, you want the camera turn to Law so you can see how he reacts - with a simple nod or a faintly recognizable smile or sometimes shock.

The rest of the characters simply do not have enough screen time to develop well. Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet and Mark Ruffalo have all been wasted. Hopkins need to stop talking in a British accent regardless of the role he plays, which in this case happens to be an influential judge and a rich Southerner.

The movie is technically well-made. Every shot is taut with tension and drama, the lighting is just so, the music dramatic when it needs to be, the editing precise and the mid-century Louisiana colors captures the era beautifully.

In the end, you empathize with Willie. You know despite his short comings, wheeling dealings and using the people around him (especially Jack), he has the peoples' good at heart. The movie also comes close to representing the current political scenario with the oil, gas and arms companies still holding sway and playing a big part in American politics. You wonder what will happen if such a charismatic, even eccentric, anti-establishment guy really makes it through our political process and represents the people while standing up to those with money and influence. Ofcourse if he keeps repeating "By God's will" or the "wrath of God" like Willie does in the movie, he stands the risk of getting branded as a religious zealot and laughed out before the primaries.

All in all, a wonderfully made movie, enriched by the performances of Sean Penn and Jude Law. If you have time on your hands, and noone to disturb you at home or keep complaining about the pace of the movie, this is definitely worth a watch.