One of the greatest biographical films ever made

Rating: Null/10 (14 December 2008)

Great story, very engaging. It is lead by fantastic performances and amazing writing and direction.
Sean Penn gives one of the best male performances of the decade for sure. He captures so realistically what many other actors in the past have done with real life people. He captures all of Harvey Milk's mannerisms and emotion so well. He will certainly get an Oscar nomination, possibly even a win. Now, to the strong supporting performances. Many of the attention has been given to Brolin and Franco, but I thought that Diego Luna gave a very disturbing and real portrayal as Milk's lover, Jack at one point in his life. Yes, it was hard to watch, but I feel that Luna really stood-out, and it is a shame that people have not really recognized him as well. James Franco also gave a very strong performance, as did Emile Hirsch. But, here is a surprise, I did not think Josh Brolin was anything special. He has been the supporting actor who has been getting most Oscar attention, and most nominations and even awards. He was good, no doubt, but he lacked a lot in scenes I thought. I was expecting him to do more, and I am sorry, but I do not think he deserves an Oscar nomination, let alone some awards he has taken home(they should all go to Ledger for his amazing performance as The Joker). But it is not a big deal, like I said, he was good, but just not nearly as good as he is being praised. The screenplay is fabulous. It slides, and it does not linger, and never plays out very easily. The direction is superb, as is the rest of the film.
Here is one amazing film, by any means. It grabs you, whether you like biographical films or not. It is a film, and all of the characters you deeply connect with. Certainly one of the year's best films.