Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

City reporter John Ireland (as Jack Burden) is sent to cover an unusual small-town campaign for county treasurer. The underdog receiving media attention is populist candidate Broderick Crawford (as William "Willie" Stark), uncommonly known as an "honest politician." Upon arriving, Mr. Ireland finds corrupt local officials threatening to arrest Mr. Crawford, who draws crowds with his campaign speeches. They have Crawford's schoolteacher wife Anne Seymour (as Lucy) fired and beat up his handsome son John Derek (as Tom). Crawford's political career is a certainly a challenge. Ireland would rather be with pretty Joanne Dru (as Anne Stanton), but becomes attached to Crawford...Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren, "All the King's Men" has things to say about political corruption that are still relevant, today. The story is very skillfully adapted, by director Robert Rossen. He keeps the narrative flowing briskly and elicits great performances, all around. With many scenes involving multiple characters, the director keeps everyone in place. There are times when Mr. Rossen and crew covey much with three or four players and only a few seconds of silent screen time. Obvious artistic moments strengthen scenes without being too showy; for example, children at a carnival provide chaos as Broderick experiences the aftereffects of alcohol...Sexual and romantic relationships are telegraphed by studying the faces and manners of Ms. Seymour, Ms. Dru and Mercedes McCambridge (as Sadie Burke). You could turn down the sound and gather much information by watching the faces of "All the King's Women". In her first feature film appearance, Ms. McCambridge won most of the year's big "Supporting Actress" awards. She's marvelous, but the story should have had at least one "romantic" scene between McCambridge and Crawford; filmmakers may have felt the two would look unappealing together, and may have cut love scenes somewhere during the process. Crawford was clearly the year's consensus "Best Actor" winner...The often misplaced, but most coveted, "Academy Award" for Rossen was as "Best Picture" producer rather than director. "Oscar" nominated Ireland as "Supporting Actor" and he very likely outperformed that group, but he lost; it's just as well, Ireland is one of two leading, not supporting, performers in "All the King's Men". Others in the cast to keep an eye on include doctor Shepperd Strudwick (as Adam Stanton) and devoted Walter Burke (as Sugar Boy). The film makes a strong case for incorporating an "ensemble" acting award. To spite the strong effort and acting impressions, the characterizations are sketchy and secondary; the main characters are politics and corruption.********* All the King's Men (11/8/49) Robert Rossen ~ Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Mercedes McCambridge, Joanne Dru

Robert Rossen directed this Academy Award winning(best picture) film that stars Broderick Crawford(Academy Award winning best actor) as Willie Stark, an ambitious local politician who prides himself on honesty and being in touch with the common people. John Ireland plays newspaper reporter Jack Burden, who is sent to cover Willie, and stays for his whole rise and fall from power. Mercedes MacCambridge(Academy Award winning best supporting actress) plays Sadie Burke, an acerbic woman if ever there was one! Willie at first does challenge the corrupt parties that tried to keep him out, but ends up falling into the same trap of preserving his own power, no matter the cost.Based on the real-life Huey Long, this well-acted and written film pulls few punches in its cynicism, making viewer wonder if politics is inherently corrupt, or it just attracts corrupt people. Story is predictable and obvious to a point, but still just as timely as ever.

The rise and fall of a corrupt politician (Broderick Crawford), who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal.So this was based on a novel that was inspired by Huey Long... but keep in mind it is not the story of Huey Long. No matter how much you want to say it is, and how many links you want to draw, it is not. (Because if it is, they told a completely different story from the reality.)What this actually is, is a story about corruption and power, plain and simple. It may not be true that "everybody wants to rule the world", but many people do. And many are willing to cut corners, take bribes and other dastardly things to help them succeed. Granted, as much as we dislike it, there is a certain amount of this that is politics as usual and may not ever be cleaned up. But then you have guys like Willie Stark who take it beyond the boundaries of good sense...

Willie Stark seems like a man of the people. He is, that is if those people suit his agenda. When first seen, he is running for County Treasurer, having discovered graft that causes a tragedy at an elementary school. When you're discovered to be right about corruption that caused the deaths of innocent children, you are sure to be labeled a hero. He decides to run for governor. But his opponents are ruthless. Then, so is Stark. When the next election comes up, Stark is a shoe-in, and he turns the state around with improvements that win him much popularity. How does he succeed? A little blackmail, a bit of bribery, and LOTS of bullying. That's how. What seemed to be for the good of the people now becomes a lot clearer to the people around him as well as his enemies. Those who oppose him are destroyed: financially, emotionally, brutally. There's rumors of murder, even a suicide. Someone has gotten too big for his britches! That's what this Oscar Winning film is all about-evil motives behind good intentions, and that leads to Dante's Inferno, of course. But before that happens, a lot of people have to suffer, and the people around Governor Stark don't see what their support of him is more destructive than they could possibly imagine. This is only my second viewing of this all-time classic, and my image of Broderick Crawford was as the outwardly bullying Harry Brock in 1950's "Born Yesterday", made right after this won him a deserving Oscar. The difference between Willie and Harry is that you know right from the beginning who Harry Brock is. Controlling, power-hungry, uncouth (to quote Judy Holliday in that movie), and downright brutish. But as Willie, he's a seemingly devoted husband and father, underneath it all, cheating on his wife and pushing his son onto greatness more than his son cares to be pushed. Willie Stark is the greatest liar politics has ever seen...on screen that is. But as they say, you can only fool some of the people some of the time, and it all comes out in the end.John Ireland is excellent as the reporter who leaves his job at the newspaper during Crawford's first run for governor to work for him. He will regret that decision for the remainder of his days as he sees the moral laws he will have to break. Joanne Dru is the sweet daughter of a judge opposed to Stark, but for some reason, she gets involved with him even though she was in love with Ireland. The most unforgettable performance, next to Crawford's, is Oscar Winning Mercedes McCambridge as a cold and calculating secretary to Crawford that is equally as ruthless as her boss. She's also envious, a fact she attributes to the small pox which left her face "hard", while Willie's long-suffering wife (Anne Seymour) has aged gracefully (with a conscience) and Dru is naturally beautiful. Among the smaller roles is Paul Ford in a dramatic part rare in his repertoire.Political dramas have dominated Hollywood history ever since cameras started turning, and the story of corruption, desperation for power over democracy and the destruction of one's own soul in order to get that power is a timeless theme that is as old as time itself. Perhaps people in office should be made to watch films like "All the King's Men", "State of the Union", "Advise and Consent" and "The Best Man" once a year simply to remind them of what their duties really are and to stop serving only those who give them the highest campaign contributions. The film's ending may be a drastic move in order to squelch political abuse, but it is a metaphor for what will happen to one's soul if they continue to follow the same paths as fictional politicians such as Willie Stark.