Flawless

Rating: 10/10 (24 August 2002)

Spoilers to come...
I cannot find a single fault with this movie. I have watched it many times and it never fails to hit all the right notes with me. The adaptation from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee is the best I've ever seen in a film; the spirit of the (equally flawless) book is caught perfectly in the film, and many sections of dialogue and narration are taken word-for-word. Just as with the book, you feel that you are in this town with these people, whom you have known all your life.
The casting is serendipitous -- the two unknown children, playing what turned out to be the only major role in either career, fit their roles precisely in looks and manner and acted quite naturally. Gregory Peck has his best role ever (and that's saying quite a lot) as Atticus Finch, the principled lawyer and the father of the children. The supporting cast, from the town sheriff, to the accused rapist, to Calpurnia, the Finch's housekeeper, is equally excellent.
The script and direction are perfect, and together with the outstanding Bernstein score, they produce just the right level of understated emotion -- the viewer responds emotionally and yet there's never that feeling of having been manipulated when the movie is over. Some memorable scenes which never fail to bring a lump to my throat:
*when Atticus walks beneath the balcony and the minister tells Jem to "stand up, son, your father's passing."
*the despair on the face of Tom Robinson (played to perfection by Brock Peters) during the courtroom scenes
*Scout's "Hey, Boo," the final summation of all the terror and curiosity that she and her companions had built up around Boo Radley for their whole lives

If you've never seen it, watch it tonight.