All the King's Men (1949)

I am shocked to learn that there were corrupt politicians in the 1940s. I thought it was only a recent thing. Okay, please note the sarcasm in that.

All the King's Men is a film about an honest man who wants to clean up corruption that is in the office of the county commissioners. He is bullied and threatened as a result. Due to his honesty, many people begin to follow him to help him in his campaigns. He loses the race but when things he pointed out were wrong begin to happen on a large scale, the public begins to stand behind him. However, once he begins to get power, he becomes as corrupt, if not worse than, the politicians he sought to replace.

*Spoiler Alert* While this story is not based on a true story, but a novel, it is very reminiscent of the story of Huey Long. Long was also killed while at the height of his political career.

I thought Mercedes McCambridge was perfect in her role. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work on this film. While researching her, I discovered that she did the voice of the demon in The Exorcist. That is rather terrifying.

A bit of useless trivia: The title of this film and novel is from the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty.