All the King's Men

Preview: ALL THE KING'S MEN (Columbia) Directed by Steven Zaillian

It's the oldest story in American politics: A good man wins over the electorate, gains power, starts to crave power and its trappings, and is brought low by his craving. (Sort of the Bill Clinton story.) In preparation to direct his version of All the King's Men, director Steven Zaillian allegedly refused to watch the (to date) definitive 1949 adaptation, instead referring only to Robert Penn Warren's novel. Probably a good idea. But with a cast that includes Sean Penn as Willie Stark--the populist politician modeled on famously outlandish Louisiana governor Huey P. Long--Jude Law as the cynical newspaperman who helps him stay in power, and Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, and Patricia Clarkson in supporting roles, expect a passel of overripe New Orleans accents.

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