REVIEW: I must admit that we didn’t know anything about gay activist Harvey Milk, and even though not crazy abut the subject of gay rights, we had to admit that this movie was outstanding. It was directed with a poet's eye by Gus Van Sant from a richly detailed script by Big Love writer Dustin Lance Black. It's a total triumph, brimming with humor, heart, sexual heat, political provocation and a crying need to stir things up, just like Harvey did in real life. That Harvey's questing spirit not only lives but soars in this movie is a gift from Sean Penn, who plays him for real instead of for show. Penn is a lion of an actor, but the tenderness he radiates here is revelatory. He adopts a New York accent to get Harvey's inflections. But the physical transformation is nothing compared to the way Penn gets at the core of the man, finding the source of his joy and pain. He disappears into Harvey with the artistry of an acting virtuoso. There's one word for Penn's performance: phenomenal.It is probably one of the best movies around this year. We give it [5-Stars].SYNOPSIS: The movie portrays the life story of San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be voted into office in America. He was shot dead in 1978, along with Mayor George Moscone, in City Hall. Dan White, a troubled politico who had served with Harvey on the city's board of supervisors, pumped five bullets into Harvey. The crusader for gay rights in San Francisco, and the nation, was 48.
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