Great actors don't make a great movie

I recently re-watched "A Civil Action," a taut legal drama penned by Steven Zaillian whose other impressive credits include "Gangs of New York" and "Schindler's List." In the company of these beautifully written and well-studied dramas, I am shocked that his adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's "All the King's Men" was as blandly bad as it was. \nZaillian adamantly pronounced that instead of turning to the Oscar-winning 1949 version of the famous American novel for inspiration, he wrote straight from the source material, opting instead to be more faithful to the novel than its previous film adaptation. Unfortunately, Zaillian should've taken a page from the book of writer/director Robert Rossen, whose version is not only more engaging but astonishingly better-acted. \nThe plot centers around a corrupt Louisiana politician and follows the arch of his career as he makes a successful bid for governor, then proceeds to quash all of his enemies in a brazen and obvious pursuit of power. But the lust for power, which was the successful center and character study of the original film version, is only one of the many muddled plot threads that inhabit the film.\nPlayed somewhat ludicrously by Sean Penn, Governor Willie Stark is brash, uncontrollable and downright silly. Waving his arms about, inciting huge waves of raucous cheers and steadily pumping a vein in the upper left of his forehead, Penn's performance is not unlike old footage of Adolf Hitler rallying his countrymen. Every time the camera panned over to Stark's entranced minions, I winced painfully, feeling sorry for the many overzealous extras they hired to foam at the mouth for drama's sake. \nAs the film is told through the eyes of one of Stark's cohorts, the second most important performance belongs to Jude Law as journalist Jack Burden. In the novel, Burden is a complex narrator, fretting constantly over his ambiguous morality and making difficult decisions for the sake of his idol Willie Stark. I've never been a big fan of Jude Law, and his performance here further proves that a pretty face does not equal quality acting abilities. Normally an over--actor, Law underplays his character here, mumbling constantly in an indiscernible and foolishly bad southern accent. \nThe normally effervescent Kate Winslet gives an uneven and shoddy performance as Jack's old flame, now ensconced in a torrid love affair with the governor. Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the morally incorruptible Judge Irwin is decent, as is James Gandolfini's performance as Stark's longtime enemy Tiny Duffy. Mistakenly, the film relies heavily on the names and award nominations of its cast to lend the story any kind of authenticity. Unfortunately, Zaillian trusted them a little too much, neglecting to properly direct his actors, and instead focusing on lush period accuracy and cinematography.\nLike the phenomenon "Citizen Kane," "All the King's Men" is a fictional story based on a real-life politician, former Louisiana governor Huey Long. Long was charismatic, prolific and stomped over many of his enemies in his Machiavellian rise to power, only to be assassinated for his cruel tactics. The difference between Orson Welles' true-to-life masterpiece and this overly slick retread of a great novel could not be more obvious: Style does not equal substance.