Review of Philadelphia (1993) by Dave S — 31 May 2015

A challenging and groundbreaking film at it's time of release, being one of the first mainstream films to deal with HIV/Aids, homosexual behaviour, and most notably; homophobia. This film is expertly acted with Tom Hanks winning his first best actor oscar and earning it big time with his gaunt appearance and heartbreaking performance as a man wronged by prejudice.

Denzel Washington is also electric as his usual smooth-talking, commander of the room, so of course he plays the lawyer defending, Hanks and almost steals the show! The supporting cast is also solid, though I wish more time had been spent on the relationship between Banderas and Hanks (though some of their scenes were cut for time).

The plot is tragic and compelling with Hanks' character contracting HIV and then being promptly fired from his promising career; but was it his sickness or sexual preference that got him fired? The rest unfolds like your standard courtroom procedural and unfortunately succumbs to a few cliches of the genre, but the performances are so strong and the story so moving that you can easily overlook them.

Philadelphia is an excellent film that tackles the taboo subjects that are unfortunately still around today with point-blank bravery, and sincerity that addresses the issue humbly and should not be missed.