All The King's Men (Blu-ray)

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Zaillian doesn't do nearly enough with Jack Burden (Law), the journalist who narrates the story of Willie Stark, and yet what he does include feels like the same type of shortcut we've been getting throughout the film. Burden likes Anne Stanton (Winslet) and he hangs out with her and her brother, Adam (Ruffalo). Then there's Burden's old family friend, Judge Irwin (Hopkins), who will factor into Burden's actions later in the film as he demonstrates his misplaced loyalty. But while you think you have some sense of what's going on, there's always this nagging feeling that you have no idea. All you know for sure is that Willie Stark was going to be used as a pawn in the gubernatorial race, but then he became his own man and denounced Tiny and those who would use him. Then Tiny's back onboard again, and Sadie Burke (Clarkson) seems ever-present, though we're not sure why. We see Stark rant, but we get no clue as to the power he used and abused while governor, and therefore we aren't nearly as prepared for the film's violent ending as we should have been. My wife likes political movies, but this one bored her to tears. Me too. If I were in a theater, I would have found any number of excuses to go buy more popcorn or use the bathroom. Confusing and dull isn't a good combination.

Video:
I never saw this one in SD so I can't make any comparisons, but while the color saturation is more earth-tones than a full, rich four-color picture, the black levels are strong and there's a solid amount of detail. In other words, it looks really good in 1080p Hi Def (1.85:1 aspect ratio). Some of the best scenes are those where you see fields of grain and can pick up just about every blade and seedhead, it's so clear.

Audio:
Once again, the English PCM 5.1 uncompressed sound is fantastic, with a pure tone and robust bass. Other options are English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, but I can't imagine why anyone would choose to hear it in any other way than the six-channel option.

Extras:
Mercifully, there are no extras.

Bottom Line:
There are some enjoyable moments in "All the King's Men," but not many--certainly not enough to come close to the near-perfection of the 1947 original.

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