All the Way

all the way through

source: All the Way

Directly following John F. Kennedy's assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office. Very shortly after his ascendancy to the highest land in the office LBJ began the push for the Civil Rights Act. Bryan Cranston does an amazing job portraying the 36th President of the United States as he struggles with racist Senators in the South filibustering the Civil Rights Act using lofty words like "freedom", "liberty", and "States Rights". It's remarkable how similar the rhetoric of these men sounds to the current Republican party though they have moved their target to other minorities in this nation. Cranston lays on the thick Southern accent of Johnson and negotiates with these Senators including his former mentor Senator Richard Russell, played by the regal Frank Langella. I haven't studied up on my history but found the negotiating and politics quite interesting and believe this story needs to be reviewed every few years. Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

This television does a great job of trying to bring to life the struggle of a leader who got destroyed by a Vietnam War in History books. LBJ did so much, but the question of why he did what he did is what this history tries to show. While it does accurately address the events and a talented actor does bring life to him, it kind of misses script wise LBJ's real motivations to an considerable extent. This starts with stark scenes of the immediate thrust into the Presidency after JFK's murder. While the scenes are stark here, the script shows an almost emotionless LBJ after an incident which touched the emotion of every American. His assumption of office is presented as sudden but the real LBJ would not be as wooden as this one. From here, it does get better to an extent. It goes over all the major battles on race discrimination, and tries to present LBJ's encounters with MLK (Dr. King) and FBI head J.Edgar Hoover. It does show how cagey he could be maneuvering people to get what he wants. In his human side, it does a great job presenting how he feels he will die young because of others in his family. Because this is a TV production, it mentions the great society programs but does not really go into the battles LBJ had getting them passed. The focus here is race and voting rights. By presenting a shallow picture of MLK here, it really makes it look too much like Johnson alone got this done. This is presented deliberately into making the history say that because of this LBJ battle that the Democrats lost the South in the 1968 election because of Republicans, which is not really the true history. George Wallace really had more to do with the Humphrey loss in 1968 than Nixon. Still, the LBJ Legend, and the 1968 spin which has been used make it look like Democrats are something they are not is still being sold as fact where the Democrats stand today, despite the fact that current leaders of that party had racists as mentors, is an interesting theory still being advanced in Education. Between the lines stands LBJ, he is an important bridge in the history of equal rights, and the development of the most comprehensive programs addressing poverty and health care in the United States. Those accomplishments stand high above the presentation of them in this film. Medicare and Medicade funded what is now the most advanced health care system in the world. The equal rights is a landmark the rest of the world still trails behind the US. The trouble is current leaders are trying to destroy this legacy, and they should be ashamed of that.

Looking every inch the physical personification of the character he's playing Bryan Cranston gives a magnificent, career-defining performance as LBJ in Jay Roach's superb television movie "All the Way" which deals with Johnson's first year in office and the problems he encountered when dealing with civil rights as well as his own campaign for re-election. In the role of Martin Luther King, Anthony Mackie is a tad too cool, (Mackie's blandness as an actor is certainly in evidence), but Melissa Leo is a highly credible Ladybird, Frank Langella a superb Richard Russell and Stephen Root a perfect J. Edgar Hoover. The brilliant script is by Robert Schenkkan from his own play.

All the Way is a Bryan Cranston tour de force as Lyndon B Johnson ascending to the presidency on the back of JFK's assassination and looking at ways to leave his mark as President. Cranston is unrecognisable under the heavy make up, something not afforded to costar Anthony Mackie who plays Martin Luther King. The inspiration for this HBO film is Steve Spielberg's Lincoln as we look at the political machinations of the Dixiecrat Johnson in trying to succeed with the Civil Rights Bill yet at the same time dealing with the leading lights of the civil rights movement who are making waves in the Democratic Party and keeping in line the southern Democrats who have little in common with the fellow party members from the north. The film is a little ponderous even flabby. Despite the stellar cast and shining performances by Melissa Leo and Frank Langella, the character of LBJ is let down by the writing, his unpleasantness, his complexities are not fully explored. I felt the whole thing to be rather uninvolving.

History has not been kind to President Lyndon B. Johnson - inheriting essentially a poisoned chalice of a Presidency from the assassinated John F. Kennedy and The Bill of Civil Rights that had yet to be passed through congress. The political forces of the south are determined not to see that happen, thus Johnson finds himself in a political quagmire of trying to appease Martin Luther King and do what he knows is right on the one hand, while battling congress on the other. Let's be clear from the beginning here - 'All The Way' is not just a film about Lyndon B. Jonhson, it is a film about what went on behind the scenes that led to the change in the law in America that led to desegregation and voting rights for all Americans. One of the reasons this film is so good is because it ably does both that and gives us a fly on the wall insight into a complicated man, Johnson and those around him during this period of history. Rarely does a film give us so much on so many levels. Byran Cranston shows us all why he is one of the best American actors living today. He doesn't give us an impersonation of Johnson, he makes you believe your truly watching the man. No doubt this will be all but forgotten come Oscar time, but his performance is truly extraordinary and makes the film a must watch for this alone. It would have been easy for this film to play Johnson as one dimensional but he is truthfully depicted as not being below a few dirty tricks himself. The back and fourth between the two sides makes for compelling viewing in a story extremely well told. However it would be remiss of me to not mention the other performances from the supporting cast, all of whom are universally excellent. Anthony Mackie brings his own steadfast performance to Martin Luther King while Stephen Root is the paranoid Hoover. Melissa Leo, an actress we really should see more of, is fantastic as the Presidents suffering wife. The film covers many key moments of this turbulent part of US History. It's easy to see why actress Aisha Hinds never stops working in her riveting cameo as Fannie Lou Hamer, giving evidence of the despicable brutality meted on her while trying to register to vote. Equally Tod Weeks as the Presidents Chief of Staff is a beautiful seamless performance, that could have easily been lost in the shadow of Cranston, but ably holds your attention whenever he is on screen. Frank Langella is both confidant and adversary in the fatherly Senator Richard Russell, am actor I am always grateful to see. The performances would be nothing however without a great script and to incorporate a sense of who all these characters were, the key events of the time, including the murder of the three civil rights workers and Johnson's numerous idiosyncrasies is nothing shorting amazing so credit must be given to the writer Robert Schenkkan for taking his play and transforming so well to the screen. Johnson was a complex man and perhaps not an entirely likable one but this film brings to our attention that while Kennedy may have been the man who started The Bill for Civil Rights and Doctor King may have created the public pressure in which to light the fuse, it was the efforts of Johnson and his staff that finally got it pushed through. In his short tenure in office he also achieved a great many other things and was perhaps a far greater President than has been remembered by history. I am certain Johnson would have been happy with this portrayal of himself. Highly recommended and easily one of my favorite films so far of 2016 and this coming from a Brit who has a limited interest in American politics.

The problem with biopics like this one is that when we distinctly remember the real-life individuals depicted, the quality of the film is often judged by the performances of those actors who play the real-life characters. For that very reason, it's probably much easier to make a film about George Washington or Thomas Jefferson than it is to make one about Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King. The characterization of real-life characters here is a mixed bag, but overall I will give the producers and directors credit for doing a reasonably credible job. Bryan Cranston does a superb job in portraying President Lyndon Johnson; a bit lean in the face, but otherwise spot on. His performance ought to be worth an Emmy. On the other hand, Anthony Mackie -- whom I feel is a very good actor -- was, to me, totally unconvincing as Martin Luther King, Jr. The same with Melissa Leo as Lady Bird Johnson and Stephen Root as J. Edgar Hoover. Ned Van Zandt was totally unconvincing as Senator J. William Fulbright. Ray Wise was totally unconvincing as Senator Everett Dirksen. On the other hand, Bradley Whitford -- never a favorite of mine -- grew on me as the film progressed with his portrayal of Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Thumbs up. In terms of the story line followed -- I think it's an excellent script covering the time period from the assassination of President Kennedy to election night 1964. I would have to say that overall it is a favorable portrayal of LBJ, while not hiding any of his warts.

I can say without doubt that Cranston is as close to the real thing as I have seen. Close, but not complete. I grew up in Dallas during the assassination and remember Johnson very well from that time. This movie shows a lot more about the man then ever was shown during his presidency. Johnson was not known for his popularity and was not an icon like Kennedy. But I believe he did more for the nation than most Presidents before and after. One thing he was and that was a true Texan and touted that persona throughout his life. And as one Texan to another Johnson always showed his colors even though the rest of the nation did not understand it. I give him that. As for the only critique of Cranston I would say look at the real Johnson on past videos and then Cranston. Johnson was a little more quiet and subdued in front of cameras and the public eye. It was his back room political demeanor that made this man who he really was.

There's no doubt that there are lots of strong performances in this movie: Cranston as LBJ, Leo as Lady Bird, Whitford as HHH, and Langella as "Uncle Dick" Russell. But you can tell this movie was based on a play, because, try as they might to infuse this movie with any action and excitement, the film is mostly a bore, and I found myself nearly dozing off multiple times. And maybe their portrayal of the sleaze of politics also bothered me, most notably with Humphrey coming up to MLK at the Democratic convention and bubbling over with enthusiasm about a "great deal" they reached with him when HHH knew it was a terrible deal. Finally, while Anthony Mackie is fine as MLK, he physically looks nothing like him, and since they made an effort to have so many other characters look like their real-life counterparts, Mackie's appearance stood out like a sore thumb.