A touching movie, which has taken the place of "The Fugitive" (1993) as my favorite movie. Tom Hanks' performance was obviously worthy of his first Oscar for his portrayal of Andrew Beckett, a gay, AIDS-stricken man who was fired from his job for what he believes to be discrimination against his sexual orientation and disease. Denzel Washington, in his portrayal of Joe Miller, the ex-homophobic who decides to help Andrew win his case, is excellent, deserving of a Best Supporting Actor award. This story of AIDS, homophobia and homosexualism is first-rate. I highly recommend this to anybody looking for a great movie.

Philadelphia is ground-breaking for being the first major Hollywood film about AIDS and for Tom Hanks receiving his first Best Actor Oscar. The good thing is that Philadelphia is a great, no splendid, film that handles a difficult subject remarkably.

It's a well-made film, not one of the most beautiful-looking films ever but it's nonetheless shot with style and grace and the close ups look good and don't feel overused at all. It's also beautifully directed by Silence of the Lambs' Jonathan Demme, he ensures that everything looks good, that the characters remain interesting and that the drama is fully allowed to resonate emotionally, with some lovely subtle touches like in the family scenes.

The music fits like a glove, not just the soothing resonance of Howard Shore's score but especially the song choices. Two song choices stood out, the Oscar-winning and very powerful Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen and in particular the near-definitive Maria Callas rendition of the sublime La Mamma Morta from Andrea Chenier accompanying the opera scene. The script is very thoughtful and enough to stir up plenty of emotions, it is a touch heavy-handed on occasions but considering the subject matter there was always going to be a chance it was going to happen. Philadelphia also has a hugely compelling and deeply moving story, and that is not just because of having a sensitive subject and dealing with it as intelligently as the film did, but also the numerous powerful scenes. The final scene, Miller intervening when Andy's discriminated against in the library, the 'children on the back of the bus' line, Miller's speech on breaking the law and Andy's expression as he steps out of Miller's office after being rejected are all really well done scenes that get even better on repeat viewings, but the standout is the opera scene, not just the perfect choice of music but it's also such an emotionally powerful scene, due to it being a master-class in close-up acting and how life-affirming it is(not just for Joe in his epiphany moment but for the viewer as well).

Philadelphia has a top-notch cast who all give wonderful performances thanks to interesting characters(Miller being the one that progresses the most)and powerful material. Tom Hanks fully deserved his Best Actor Oscar, not just because of the truly brave nature of the role but also, and especially so, the amount of emotional connection Hanks puts into it, not filling the 'gay stereotype' at all. He is especially brilliant in the opera scene and at the end. Denzel Washington has the meatier role and plays it with such authority and compelling poise, also showing excellent chemistry with Hanks, while I appreciated the subdued performance of Antonio Banderas and Joanne Woodward's nuanced turn as Andy's mother. Jason Robards also stands out, underneath the bluff his character is a complete reptile which Robards plays to bone-chilling effect.

All in all, splendid film and more than just a ground-breaking film about AIDS. 9/10 Bethany Cox