I'm here to recruit you.

Rating: 9/10 (28 November 2008)

This is not just a great and important civil rights film; it's an inspiring true story about the political process and the power a leader can have by using tactics like honesty and integrity over manipulation and lies. This is also an example of how to make a successful biopic. The writer has to find the balance between the actual events and dramatic thrust. The actor has to become the person they're portraying; it's not just impersonation but actually understanding the life of someone else. Finally, the director has to figure out exactly how that particular story should be told. There are so many strong performances in this movie: James Franco and Emile Hirsch; Josh Brolin as the mysteriously tortured Dan White. Above all, I celebrate Sean Penn and the work he's been doing. Last year he proved himself a proficient director with INTO THE WILD, and now this is probably the most fully realized character of his acting career. His Harvey Milk is heart-warming and just an extremely likable guy, someone you'd want to sit down and have a drink with. Gus Van Sant nailed it. I've loved his more recent independent, semi-surreal dramas, particularly ELEPHANT and LAST DAYS. He could have employed the same dreamlike methods with MILK and gone the route of telling this story the way he told Cobain's in LAST DAYS, preferring visual poetry over traditional narrative. I'm sure that could have been a great movie as well, but Van Sant made the smart move by returning to a more mainstream approach. This is still an artistically satisfying film, and I'm sure a very personal project as well, but it's presented as an accessible, straight forward true story. This is a film for everyone, and people need to see this movie. I challenge anyone, regardless of your views, to go see this with an open mind and be able to keep a dry eye all the way through. If you can give it a chance and still not be moved, I would question your humanity, and that's the power of this very timely and effective film and the life of a man named Harvey Milk.