Milk vs Dead Man Walking

I'm not sure I trust any actor as much as I trust Sean Penn. It's apparent he loves acting, loves movies, but suffers zero bullshit. Even in something borderline trite like I am Sam, I'm taken aback by the presence of Sean Penn. He wouldn't be there if it wasn't worth his time. And so, it becomes worth mine. And when something is already outwardly worth my time--Gus Van Sant directing Milk with a great cast, released in the middle of winter--then the addition of Sean Penn's name to the roster practically demands that I see it as soon as possible. Milk is beyond worth your time. It is a necessity. It's one of the great Civil Rights movies ever, and in Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey Milk, another undeniable performance in a career full of them. Apologies to Daniel Day Lewis, but I'm thinking Sean Penn might be the best actor working right now. It says something that the guy has been working for almost thirty years and I got lost in his performance within the first scene. How is it possible for an actor of that level to disappear into a role without special effects? I think I know. Sorry, Mr. Lewis.

Harvey Milk was turning forty, and feeling the sting of a mid-life with no accomplishments, embarked on two new adventures: a fling with a younger man named Scott, and a move to San Francisco. Soon, he's running a camera shop, and building Castro Street into a community that welcomes gay people. The local merchants get the hint right away that if they don't accept homosexuals, then they won't get their business either. And so Harvey's camera shop becomes a hang-out for local gay men, younger runaways, and eventually, those angered by treatment of gays in the area. Harvey decides to do something about the latter, and runs for office. He's going to be City Supervisor for his district in San Francisco. Well, not for a while. Harvey runs again and again, losing over and over, but each time by less. And then he wins. Harvey Milk won the first major political office for an out homosexual by being tenacious, ambitious, stubborn and tirelessly optimistic. Sean Penn hits every beat of Milk's rise so naturally you might not notice him doing it (I've had more than one friend say they weren't impressed by Penn's performance until they got home and thought about the movie, and then realized it's because he's behaving as Harvey Milk, and not "acting". It's truly impressive, and to top it off, you've never seen Sean Penn smile as much as he does as Harvey Milk. Despite the tragedy waiting for him in the film, it's a relief to see Penn expressing joy on camera, as fleeting as it might be.)

In office, Milk has to contend with Dan White (Josh Brolin, on a roll), a fellow Supervisor. White was counter to Milk politically and religiously (sexually...it's unclear), but has to deal with him on city issues. They bump heads more than they bond, and if you know anything about Dan White or Harvey Milk going into the film, then you know their fates as movie characters as well. It doesn't matter. Gus Van Sant has crafted such an involving movie, knowing the details ahead of time won't hinder your enjoyment of it one bit. In fact, knowing the facts of Harvey Milk's life ahead of time might be a benefit. The film is capped by updates on the people in Harvey's life, and the side-by-side comparisons are uncanny. Van Sant cast Milk perfectly. Besides every member of the cast performing well, they're also each a close physical match for their real life counterparts. Standouts among them are Emile Hersch, Joseph Cross, and in the film's only significant female role, Alison Pill.

And if I may be shallow for just a moment, how happy am I that Gus Van Sant finally returned to more traditional filmmaking. I'm all for experimentation and artistry, but Van Sant has both those things here and he's also got, you know, a script and a score and Sean Penn acting his happy ass off (don't believe he's happy in Milk? At one point he holds hands with a drag queen. Dude is ecstactic.)

For my money, there's no other option here besides just more Sean Penn. He's got dozens of great performances, feel free to dig up a more obscure one (At Close Range, State of Grace, Sweet and Lowdown, even his appearance on Friends is fantastic), but my choice is Dead Man Walking. Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking gives one of the best performances of the past twenty years. He lost the Oscar that year to Nicolas Cage, which is fine I suppose, but check out their resumes in the meantime. I'm not going to go into too much detail to try and sell you on Dead Man Walking. Besides Penn, there are great performances by Susan Sarandon and Celia Weston, an underrated directorial turn by Tim Robbins, and Sean Penn's buddy Eddie Vedder on the soundtrack. Like Milk, Dead Man Walking is an "issue movie", and like Milk, it's one of the greats. It's a bit more of a downer than Milk (and Milk is a downer, so get ready), but I find that despite their depressing subject matter, Dead Man Walking, and Milk, are ultimately uplifting through sheer power of their artistry. Don't you love when that happens?

Milk: A

Dead Man Walking: A