2. All The King's Men (2006)
I consider this book to not only be a great piece of American literature, but one of the defining political novels of the 20th century. Through the eyes of narrator Jack Burden, we watch the journey of charismatic Willie Stark through his political career. Stark, the fictional parallel of Huey Long, starts out as an idealistic lawyer who wants to leave his mark on the political landscape. Idealism only goes so far for him, though, as he eventually succumbs to corruption to finance his political machinations and uses intimidation to make sure his opponents never stand in his way. With a star-studded cast that included Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins, the 2006 adaptation was said to be a more direct adaptation of the book. Unfortunately, it was a critical and commercial failure at the box office. The film's narrative felt bogged down and was overly complicated - not to mention boring. They also removed the subplot of Willie dealing with his son Tom, which I thought was a mistake. Basically, the movie lacked the energy and political insight that made the book the classic it is today. It goes to show that just because the movie has the look it doesn't mean it has the right "feel."