Philadelphia (1993)

Philadelphia is the story of Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) who contracts AIDS and is consequently fired because of this. With the help of lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) Beckett aims to sue the company he worked for. I adored this film. It's touching and unbearable, making audiences laugh and cry. It gives a good insight into the workings of a court of law and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and homosexuality twenty years ago, which today are quite shocking. The performances of the two lead actors, Hanks and Washington were flawless. I find it difficult to look past the actor and see the character, particularly if they are as famous as these two; however, they were so brilliant and worked so well on screen, I became engulfed in the story within moments. I liked the technical aspects of the film, particularly the camera techniques used. The way that the characters looked directly into the camera when speaking much of the time really made you feel part of the film, helped me to feel what Andy was feeling and really get into his head. This is a film I continue to watch over and over. It is such a tragic story yet I find myself wanting to cheer, even amongst my tears. The only thing that got annoying after a while was the amount of time we spend in the court, however it would be very difficult to cut anything out as it is all super important. Also, who doesn't love a film that has Bruce Springsteen playing during the opening credits?