Shame it descends into Oscar fodder

Rating: 6/10 (4 May 2010)

Milk should have been a classic, it has all the elements of a great film from the outstanding performances to the story itself which is a stranger than fiction tale (especially for those of us who are too young to remember such homophobic laws being considered in a developed country)
Unfortunately what let this film down was, at times, rather shockingly obvious direction. I normally like Gus Van Sant films but this time it appears he was more focused on restating the obvious and over playing scenes which would have been very emotional otherwise... The last 10-15 minutes of this movie are an awful example of someone who should have had more courage in the editing room (especially with such strong performances from the actors)
With 30 minute reduction in run time and a stronger belief in the intelligence of the audience this would have been superb