The risk in remaking a great classic like "All the King's Men" is huge, as director Steven Zaillian has discovered the painful way. His version was greeted with disdain at the recent Toronto Film Festival, if only for the fact that Canada's film capital doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Considering that film students are required to watch the original 1949 film with Broderick Crawford as part of their curriculum, along with "Citizen Kane" and "Battleship Potemkin", critics can't help but compare the new with the old.

The original is vital for film historians, because it's one of the toughest portrayals of corruption in the US democratic system. Based on a Pulitzer-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren, the book is essential reading at many colleges.

Though Zaillian has assembled a talented all-star cast headed by Sean Penn, Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins and Kate Winslet, they still have to wrestle with the ghosts of beloved icons like Crawford, John Ireland and Mercedes McCambridge, all dead but forever honoured the world over.

The original took three Oscars, including best picture, best actor for Crawford and best supporting actress for McCambridge. Director Robert Rossen, who went on to make "The Hustler", took the Golden Globe's best director trophy.

Still, not many filmgoers in Thailand have seen the original, and they are unlikely to catch it on cable television as the local service is poor. For this reason alone, the current version is an important release.

It charts the rise and fall of a populist politician, Willie Stark, who is based on a real-life Southern politician of the time.

Penn, hungry for another Oscar after winning best actor for "Mystic River" three years ago, is taking a big gamble. The actor, who recently turned 46, is almost certain to win another nomination mostly because there's not much competition.

But, he has an uphill task. What made Crawford's performance so strong is that he personified the ordinary hick who's swayed by blustering rhetoric. Crawford connected better with the working class because he spoke and looked like one of them.

In Penn's case, the transformation is tougher. Both he and Crawford are about the same age playing Stark, but Penn doesn't look like someone who has been trampled upon by the fat cats. Nevertheless he gives a compelling performance.

For Thailand, the film has special importance. Astute viewers should be able to connect with what "All the King's Men" is about, and it should help them reflect on the circumstances they face today.

As Stark becomes more arrogant and consumed by power, his self-destruction becomes imminent. Thai politicians have most to gain by seeing the film, as reading is probably beyond them.

For Hanuman, it isn't as good as the 1949 original, but the message still rings true: Beware of strangers bearing gifts, especially politicians.

By Hanuman