I really don't hate this movie, I just don't really understand why they bothered if they were going to make such a bland film. Its not bad but, actually far from it, the trouble is that its not really compelling. Forty minutes into this film I was wondering why on earth I was still watching it. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, it was more the sort of thing that you come across while channel surfing on TV and watch it for a commercial break or two before moving on. You don't hate what you're seeing you just have a need to find something better. After forty minutes I was wondering where the commercial was and why I couldn't find my remote.
Well made and mostly well acted (there are a few people who should not be allowed near an accent) this is the story of Willie Stark who rose quickly in Southern politics before what he did to get on top came back to haunt him. Modeled on Huey Long the story has been a cautionary tale for politicians for the better part of a century now, and its warnings are still relevant today. However the film makers have made a film that never really grabs you.
Perhaps part of the problem is Sean Penn's Willie Stark. Stark should be the sort of person who sucks you into believing him even when you know you shouldn't. He needs to be larger than life. While Penn turns in a wonderful performance, he is never charismatic enough that we buy that people will flock to him as an all powerful savior. Stark the demigod is just a man. I don't blame Penn, I blame the writer/director who chose to portray him that way.
Its an okay movie. Its worth a shot at some point, but I'd leave it for cable or sometime like a long plane flight when you really won't be able to go anywhere for a while.
Well made and mostly well acted (there are a few people who should not be allowed near an accent) this is the story of Willie Stark who rose quickly in Southern politics before what he did to get on top came back to haunt him. Modeled on Huey Long the story has been a cautionary tale for politicians for the better part of a century now, and its warnings are still relevant today. However the film makers have made a film that never really grabs you.
Perhaps part of the problem is Sean Penn's Willie Stark. Stark should be the sort of person who sucks you into believing him even when you know you shouldn't. He needs to be larger than life. While Penn turns in a wonderful performance, he is never charismatic enough that we buy that people will flock to him as an all powerful savior. Stark the demigod is just a man. I don't blame Penn, I blame the writer/director who chose to portray him that way.
Its an okay movie. Its worth a shot at some point, but I'd leave it for cable or sometime like a long plane flight when you really won't be able to go anywhere for a while.