I believe the state crest of the great state of Louisiana has a pelican on it. The opening scene definitely shows a bird and a crest, that’s for sure, but it’s hard to remember because this is an endless movie. Along the same lines I’m pretty sure I liked it but it’s been so long since it started I might just be confused. Yes, All the King’s Men is a long and winding road.
The plot is a strange and weird mess and I’m not convinced that it will help you decide whether or not to see this. Just for kicks on one side you’ve got Sean Penn as an up and coming politician. He’s fire and brimstone, a solid Louisiana preacher type. On the other side you’ve got Jude Law as a rock solid journalist, a no nonsense type who sees through all the crap those other guys tend to fall for. Within these two guys lives you can find a love story, a tragedy, maybe some type of moralistic thing like I said before the plot is kind of a mess.
And there is the problem. The character’s motivations and actions don’t really add up in any rational manner, things happen to, around, and for them -sure, but none of it brings any satisfactory explanation. This is the part where the film feels endless, like you are trapped and you can’t get out. It’s easy to be interested in this movie, but then once you are and they give you the reveal you kind of wince. That’s a problem. Another problem is Jude Law as a whole. I’ve loved him in plenty of movies (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Closer, Road to Perdition) but here he comes off pretty flat and melodramatic.
There are good parts too though. I really liked Penn’s blustery politician, although when I found out the story wasn’t based on a true story the performance did lose a little luster for me. Also compelling is the look and all the glorious southern accents. The feel here reminded me a little of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil with both the charm and snarling hatred bubbling right there underneath the surface. The best part for me was the overall concept of the film: that great good can come out of great evil. That flowers come from dirt. This a complex and subtle theme for a movie, risky as hell and way too ambitious for the level of cinema we’re used to getting around this place.
That’s why I’m giving it a better than average grade. For risk and innovation, for trying something out that was probably impossible to execute. For mixing genres and throwing in a voice over, for leaving out sex and explosions, for giving plot a chance. It didn’t really work out, but there is an old saying about the Pelican which I think pertains. Here goes nothing:
They say the Pelican (The Pelican) – it can hold more fish in its mouth than its belly can, probably because it rhymes, but also because there is a lesson there. Occasionally you try and grab for a little more than you could ever use or do anything with. But I think if you look closely here you just might see an overloaded pelican working hard to fly.
