10 Terrible Movies That Wasted Amazing Casts

Based on Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, the Steven Zaillian directed, scripted and produced version of All the King’s Men was hotly tipped as one of the most Oscar-worthy films of 2006 before its release. Not surprising considering it bore all the hallmarks of Oscar bait – a September release date, a period setting, a true-life basis and a cast full of Academy and critic favourites including Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, James Gandolfini and Anthony Hopkins.

Sad then that Zaillian – the man responsible for the screenplays behind such critically acclaimed films as Schindler’s List, Gangs of New York and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – couldn’t give his cast a vaguely compelling and focused plot to work with.

To be fair, much of the criticism launched at the film centred on Sean Penn’s shamelessly melodramatic performance as Deep South politico Willie Stark, but considering it was Zaillian’s duty as director to wrangle in his stars, the failure of All the King’s Men falls pretty much on him.