By: Movie Rob
After the death of JFK, Lyndon Johnson becomes President and must deal with passing a Civil Rights Bill which will start the begin to pave the way towards Equal rights for Blacks while in the throes of running a campaign to be re-elected as President.
I have always been a fan of US Presidential history and have enjoyed countless books and movies about their lives and actions over the years. This, I must say is one of the best because it gives us such an intimate look at the life of a President. This was originally a stage play and the dialogue is crisp and savvy and above all engaging.
Bryan Cranston is superb as the 36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson and we feel so comfortable with his character that it feels normal to learn all that goes on at the top levels of government behind the scenes. The Political wrangling by all involved is so entertaining to watch and we constantly want more and more.
Cranston won a Tony award for this performance along with the Play winning Best Play in 2014 and I really hope that the Golden Globe and Emmy voters agree that both should be deserving when they fill out their ballots. The cast here is amazing. Besides Cranston, we get Frank Langella, Melissa Leo, Anthony Mackie, Stephen Root, Bradley Whitford (in a return to TV politics), Ray Wise and Joe Morton giving us excellent performances.
Ultimately, this film gives us an inside look at Johnson’s life, his policies, his politics and his Presidency that made me feel quite sad when it was all over because it felt so inviting and there is so much more to learn about these historical figures. I can’t wait to see this one again!
Such an amazingly done film. The dialogue is truly superb and Cranston makes us feel comfortable while learning all that goes on behind the scenes of the upper echelon of the American Political system with all the political wrangling. I’m not at all surprised that this play and Cranston himself were able to win Tony Awards. I’m hoping that the Emmy and Golden Globe voters feel the same.
The supporting cast is superb with Frank Langella, Melissa Leo, Anthony Mackie, Stephen Root, Bradley Whitford, Ray Wise and Joe Morton also giving such great performances. We get to know Johnson, his policies, his politics and his presidency so intimately that I for one felt sad when the movie ended because I wanted to spend more time there, learning so much more.
“Clausewitz said “Politics is war by other means.”… Bullshit. Politics is War.. Period. You know how you win a campaign, by not losing it. I only lost one election my whole life. The son of a bitch stole it from me in the final seconds with a handful of fake votes, I will carry the pain of that with me to my dying day. But I’ll tell you what, nobody will ever do me that way again, It’ll be some other way.” – LBJ
What did you think of All the Way? Let us know in the comments below…
Follow the site on Twitter and Instagram @GetReelMovies