All The King's Men

Drama, Thriller, Action

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
Frederic Forrest	Willie's Father
Paul Desmond	Slade
Kevin Dunn	Alex
Thomas McCarthy	Editor

Director	Steven Zaillian
Producer	Andreas Schmid; Todd Phillips
Writer	Steven Zaillian; Robert Penn Warren
Cinematography	Pawel Edelman
Musician	James Horner

Based on the Robert Penn Warren novel of the 1940s, "All the King's Men" is a fictionalized version of the populist but corrupt administration of Louisiana governor, Huey Long, Willie Stark in the novel and movie. Stark begins as something of an idealist, with an anti-business, populist agenda. In time, however, he becomes an ambitious politician, willing to engage in the same underhanded tactics he ran against: blackmail, deceit, bribes and betrayal. A one-time journalist, Jack Burden, an upper middle class, educated frined becomes his spokesperson, but quickly comes to question the motivations and integrity of his old buddy. There's a romance (naturally) between the daughter (Anne) of Willie Starks' predecessor as governor and Jack, although it becomes complicated by Anne's involvement with Stark, a man she originally abhors. Much of the film involves Jack's contemplation of his own path and, in the end, the stories of Jack and Willie Stark merge, lending depth and complexity to what might otherwise be a simple story of political corruption.