Review of Milk? (2012) by Allan N — 23 Aug 2011

It may not be the best film of 2008, but it deserves all of the recognition it receives. It actually made me interested in the actually people and events this movie was based off of. The acting was great, the suspense was some of the best ever, and the characters were likable.

Like I said, the best thing was the suspense. It's hard to explain, but when a suspenseful scene comes up, you really feel afraid, and there are two scenes I know of that do that perfectly. The first was when Harvey was going to make a speech, and he receives a note that says "The first bullet will come when you stand at the mic".

During the entire speech, you're just waiting for something bad to happen with an amazing amount of fear. The second scene is when Harvey enters the home, and he sees letters, all saying horrible, fearful things, and when Harvey opens the upstairs door, he see's Jack Lira hanged.

That had so much suspense and build up, yet didn't disappoint. But, with all great things, there has to be bad, and this movie has a few flaws. Firstly, Mayor Moscone wasn't developed enough. Considering he's the mayor, and he was one of the two murdered by Dan White (This all happened, so it's not much of a spoiler), but he get's nudged to the side by other supporting characters.

Another flaw is that there is a lot of filler. I mean, lot's of scenes are never acknowledged again, and other scenes feel 2-D, with many scene having a big part in the movie, but don't seem that interesting.

Finally, not really a flaw as much, but I have to bring it up, HOW DID SEAN PENN BEAT BRAD PITT FOR BEST ACTOR??? I know, Sean Penn did really well, but at times, you felt that Sean was playing a part instead of "Being" Harvey Milk.

Brad Pitt WAS Benjamin Button, never showing weaknesses. However, besides those flaws, Milk is a great film, with some story-telling qualities and a great cast to back it up. If you have nothing against homosexuals (If you do, don't admit it), or are homosexual yourself, definitely give it a watch, as it's a great film that doesn't let stupid stereotypes get in the way of an already good movie.

4 stars.