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All the Way

Bryan Cranston will win Emmys & Golden Globes for his roaring performance as the 'accidental' US president.

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He has already won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Circle Critics Award for his portrayal of President Lyndon Baines Johnson on Broadway and -mark my words- Bryan Cranston is now poised to do the same at the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes.

He is simply sensational as the 36th President of the United States, in All The Way, an HBO telemovie based on the hit stage play by Robert Schenkkan. Cranston is also unrecognisable as LBJ donning heavy, but effective, make-up to bring the Texan Vice-President-turned President to life.

“Accidental president, that’s what they’ll say,” he reflects after being sworn in following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Yet this cantankerous, bear of a man pledges to continue JFK’s work for the betterment of the country. The centrepiece of his politics is a controversial civil rights bill, tenuously forged with Dr. Martin Luther King (Anthony Mackie) but without the support of southern Democrat states. The tug of war forms the backdrop of this screenplay, also penned by Schenkkan.

LBJ proves to be a complex man, pushing for reform as part of his bid to be elected in his own right, whilst displaying racism, misogyny and bullying behind closed doors. Challenging his policies -along with half his party- is Director of the FBI, the righteous J. Edgar Hoover (Stephen Root), while Vice President Hubert Humphrey (Bradley Whitford) works in the shadow of LBJ’s swagger.

While LBJ roars about reform for shops and businesses, Dr. King is frustrated his promises of equality don’t enshrine a vote for African-Americans. Racial tensions, highlighted by murders in Mississippi, are working against moves by the White House. King struggles to affect change while impatience in the South grows. Non-violence may no longer be an option, he is told.

First Lady Ladybird Johnson (Melissa Leo) stands by her man despite his obstinance, in a story that leaves her too little to contribute.

“I see everything,” she confides. “At the end of the day I’m the one he comes to.”

The film centres around LBJ’s first year in politics, to achieve civil rights reform and win the Democratic candidacy. Screening amid the current US race makes this all the more timely, and frankly, arguments that states should be allowed to reject black employees is echoed by present opposition for gay equality in some US states.

Cranston is dazzling in the role, chewing up the scenery, spouting policy on the toilet and dominating every scene he is in. There are occasional reflections on his childhood that offer a fleeting vulnerability, which he will draw upon in times of crisis.

The US politics is overwhelming, with LBJ the president smothering LBJ the man, but Jay Roach’s direction suggests one cannot exist without the other, anyway. Archival news footage will also be edited to link dramatic scenes.

Post-JFK and pre-Nixon dramas may not be as explosive, nor as fresh as recent US politics, but I guarantee the performance of Cranston alone is enough to demand your attention.

Sunday May 29 at 8.30pm on Showcase.

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