ALL THE KING'S MEN (2006): 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, Patricia Clarkson, Kathy Baker and Jackie Earle Haley. Based on the book by Robert Penn Warren. Written for the screen and directed by Steven Zaillian. Rated PG-13. Running time: Approx: 141 mins.

       
In a time when many people feel disenfranchised, when the majority of people feel their leaders are only listening to those on the extreme fringes, a movie such as All the King's Men takes on added significance.

        Adapted and directed by Oscar-winning writer Steven Zaillian from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren, this political drama is powerful and profound.

        Set in Louisiana, the movie, like the novel, traces the rise and fall of Willie Stark — a character inspired by real-life Louisiana Gov. Huey P. Long, who was assassinated in the mid-1930s.

        It is a complex morality tale of whether the end justifies the means, whether, as Zaillian says, 'good made from bad is still good.”

        Willie Stark (Sean Penn), a small-town politician, is thrust into the state spotlight after a tragedy involving faulty construction on a school kills three children. Stark had spoken out about the corruption that went into the bidding process for the school.

        It is at this time that he meets idealist newspaperman Jack Burden (Jude Law), who writes several articles about Willie.

        Stark is asked to run for governor, not knowing he is merely a pawn to split the vote so another candidate will win. But Willie rallies the people, 'the hicks” as he calls them and himself, to his cause and he is swept into the governorship.

        Willie wants to do everything for the little people — build roads, schools, give them free education — but to do so costs money, so the graft and payoffs continue. But he justifies it all because he is getting things done for the people — even if the means to do so are dishonest.

        Zaillian has assembled a first-rate cast to support Penn and Law, including Anthony Hopkins as a retired judge who opposes Stark's methods; Kate Winslett as Law's true love who becomes one of Stark's lovers; James Gandolfini as the slimy lieutenant governor; Patricia Clarkson as Stark's venomous chief of staff; Mark Ruffalo as the idealistic doctor lured into the governor's machinations; and Jackie Earle Haley as the governor's adoring and deadly bodyguard.

        Zaillian does not make things easy for the audience. Yes, Stark becomes corrupt, but personal gain is not his goal. You admire him for wanting to help the people while at the same time you despise him for his underhanded methods.

        All the King's Men is a triumph. Penn's performance is one of the best of his career. There is hardly a false step from beginning to end. It is a feature that demonstrates how good people can be transformed by trying to adhere to what they believe to be right and just causes.

       Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at serialhero48@yahoo.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal & Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com.