Sunday night I pulled All The Way from my HBO watchlist queue for that evenings entertainment. I was not disappointed.

All The Way tells the story of Lyndon B. Johnson from moments after President Kennedy’s assassination and Johnson’s sudden thrust into power as the accidental president through to his massive electoral victory over Republican Barry Goldwater. Johnson principle objective is presented a fulfilling Kennedy’s goal of civil rights reform for African-Americans. Arrayed against Johnson are the Southern Conservative democrats, the rising limited government conservatives of the Republicans, violent reactionary racists and impatient radicals no longer willing to accept half-measures or partial victories.

The drama is compelling and the historical stakes presented as enormous but this production would not be a quarter as good without its stellar cast.

Bryan Cranston leads the cast as LBJ. I have often joked that every film can be improved by more Bryan Cranston but that is only half jest. Cranston is one of the finest actors of our time able to cover a wide range of character and emotion with seemingly effortless ease. He crawls into LBJ’s skin, with the help of superb make-up, and brings the man to life. He is the focus of the film and carries that weight with consummate skill.

Anthony Mackie, best know to genre film fans as Sam Wilson (The Falcon) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe performs equally well against Cranston playing Martin Luther King jr. It is always a difficult job taking on the role of a historic person, particularly one from living memory, whose image has grown the mythic proportions. Mackie has a deft touch with his voice and expressions that capture the images and sounds we know from news and film sources, but also gives us glimpses into the man behind the movement.

A real surprise and a very pleasant one came from Stephen Root. Root is best know as an actor of tremendous comedic gifts most notably from the TV show News Radio and the film Office Space, but here he turns on his dramatic chops and own the role of J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI.

There are numerous other great performances, Frank Langella as Southern Senator Richard Russell and Bradley Whitford as Hubert Humphrey . truly the cast in the production is terrific.

The movie captures the drama of high-stakes politics, the tragedy of racism and its violent support, and the courage of convictions. If you have HBO I urge you to watch this.