All the Way

Bryan Cranston's performance as US President LBJ, is simply stunning. If you thought, as I did, Cranston was brilliant in the recent movie Trumbo, wait till you see this movie. Whilst LBJ himself might not have been the most exciting of US Presidents, he did have a profound depth of eccentricity, southern character, a plethora of foibles, and was a master manipulator. Cranston delivers LBJ with possibly even more depth than the man himself had. Every movement, every look, every gesture and every single word Cranston offers, is a joy to behold. The performance is so natural,and so subtly done even at a microscopic level, the viewer has no choice but to believe it is not Cranston at all, but is LBJ himself. This actor has taken his craft to an even greater level, in what was already a magnificent career. The standards are very high in this movie and all of the cast and team deserve the accolades that will no doubt be given. Many congratulations Mr. Cranston.

all seems be a splendid embroidery. the atmosphere, LBJ proposed by Bryan Cranston, Melissa Leo as lady Bird Johnson, Frank Langella in the generous role of senator Russell, Anthony Mackie in the skin, far to be comfortable, of dr. Martin Luther King. the events are known but that is the virtue of film - to recreate the roots of essential decisions, to show debates and errors, to give the map of a struggle who change America. a film who becomes documentary in many scenes. and one of the most inspired portraits of an U.S. president. a film who presents the way of an year. and a man across a storm. and that does All the way more than a good work. but an useful support for reflection. about politics and about courage. about contemporary elections and about isles from old manner to understand the things. and, sure, about the admirable performance of Bryan Cranston.

All the Way

An impressive cast, centered around the LBJ actor Bryan Cranston, keeps the historical facts alive and relevant.

We often forget Johnson the president between Kennedy and Nixon. He was the most responsible for Vietnam, but also for a huge range of social programs that really make him the ultimate big government guy since Roosevelt. But important programs like Medicare and social legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Act. Seeing him struggle to make it happen is a kind of poker game, and he does it with famously Johnson candor and humor.

There's no getting around the fact that these are facts. There are no dramatic surprises here (so it's like seeing a movie the second time). But it's a good movie—one that you can see a second time and get a lot from it. There are weak points (some miscast figures like, unfortunately, Martin Luther King Jr. who is played by Anthony Mackie), but overall the drama of the events is kept intense and pertinent.

And Cranston is sublime. If you know him from "Breaking Bad" you will surprised by his depth here. See him, at least. And Johnson, too.

Bryan Cranston brings Lyndon Johnson to life in this absorbing real life drama focusing on 1964 when LBJ not only got a major civil rights bill passed, but set the stage for the 1965 voting rights act and the war on poverty. Cranston's portrayal is uncanny, and turns this made for HBO movie into a quasi-documentary. Cranston carries this movie and makes it one of the best television events of the year. The rest of the cast is excellent too but in some cases, the actors don't look enough like the characters they are playing: Hubert Humphery and Martin Luther King Jr., come to mind. The storyline is fairly well known to anyone who follows politics and U.S. history, but the behind the scene's maneuvering to get a very major bill passed makes for great story telling and LBJ was one of the great story tellers. The stories told by LBJ are the glue that holds this movie together. His poor upbringing gave him the resolve to do something about helping the poor once he got into office. And of course he saw first hand in his home state of Texas, the massive racism that prevented blacks from taking their rightful place in American society. No doubt LBJ could have been a candidate for Mt. Rushmore were it not for Vietnam which is explored in the movie but not in-depth. That should be a sequel. Melissa Leo is wonderful as Lady Bird Johnson, and Frank Langella is excellent as Senator Richard Russell. This is a must see movie. Cranston will be picking up more awards.

November, 1963. President John F Kennedy has just been assassinated and Vice President Lyndon Johnson (played by Bryan Cranston) is now President. One of his first acts as President is to reaffirm the US government's intention to pass the Civil Rights Act. This Act was drafted while JFK was in office and gives people of all races the same rights, including voting rights, access to education and access to public facilities. However, he faces strong opposition to the bill, especially from within his own party. He will have to use all his political will and cunning to get it through.

Incredibly engaging drama, showing the passage of a major and historic piece of legislation in US history. Quite an eye-opener: hard to believe that in 1963/4 there was such a huge North-South divide and that racism was so rampant. Also amazing to see that some of the strongest opposition to integration was from Democrats - the left-wing/right-wing lines were clearly quite blurred in those days.

Fascinating insight into the personality of LBJ. On the surface he seems like a man wanting to what is right for his fellow man. However, his motives are not always that altruistic, and his actions are often more driven by personal power than good intentions (which would be common to almost all politicians, I guess, so not such a huge surprise). Highly complex, we see what drives him, especially how his childhood experiences shape his motivations and thinking.

Quite balanced too. We see LBJ, warts and all: his temper, his treatment of staff and wife, his colourful language, what he'll do to win. He's hardly a saint.

Superb performance by Bryan Cranston in the lead role. He inhabits the character of LBJ.

A story that needed to be told.