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The Review:

Milk is a biographical film about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to hold public office in California. It stars Sean Penn as Harvey milk, Josh Brolin as Dan White, and Victor Graber as George Moscone. It was directed by Gus Van Sant. The film covers the years from 1970, when Harvey Milk met his lover, Scott Smith (James Franco), to Milk’s assassination in 1978.

Milk does a good job depicting the lives of gay men in the 1970s and defining Harvey Milk as a passionate and driven man. Those who know a bit about gay history will enjoy seeing some of the important political activists who worked with Milk, such as Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), Ann Kronenburg (Alison Pill), and Daniel Nicoletta (Lucas Gabreel).

The 1970s has a very specific look and Van Sant does a good job realistically depicting San Francisco at that time. All the shots are well framed, and the story flows well. It opens with actual footage from the 1950s and 1960s of gay bars being raided and their patrons getting arrested. I can only assume this is a history lesson for those unaware of how the LGBT community was once criminalized. It then moves to Milk recording his will days prior to being assassinated. While the use of Milk recording his will works, I feel the 1950s footage is a bit heavy handed.  

The film follows Milk through three unsuccessful political campaigns and shows the strain they put on his relationship with Smith. And when Milk wins his 1977 bid for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, his relationship with Smith is over.

With Milk in office, the film focuses on him and fellow Supervisor Dan White, who is politically and socially conservative. Milk does a good job depicting their friendly yet adversarial relationship. White is shown as a man undergoing professional stress due to his inability to meet campaign promises. White’s biggest issue seems to come from his inability to get other politicians to work with him, a problem that Milk does not have. And as White’s career falls apart, we see him unravel until the tragic end.

While every aspect of Milk is well done, there are a few times when it is a bit heavy handed. The most grievous are at the beginning and the end. The opening scene with the footage of gay men being arrested is good to see, but Milk and Smith discuss how the gay community is criminalized several times, so opening the film with this footage feels unnecessary. The scene where White assassinates Milk is in slow motion, with Milk looking out at the theater where he’d previously seen Tosca. Milk’s death takes so long that it dampens the emotional impact.

The Final Verdict:

Milk has some fine acting, a great script and is beautifully directed. It’s not a perfect movie, but it is worth watching. Sean Penn gives a stellar performance.