All The King's Men

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.