93 - "Philadelphia" (1993)

     Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington are both actors you will see again higher up in this list, I really respect the work of both of these guys and seeing them together in Philadelphia is a treat. The movie deals with a very delicate subject and lesser actors would not have been able to pull off the emotions needed for this story. Tom Hanks stars as Andrew Beckett, a very successful young attorney who is moving up the ranks in his firm. He is given a very important case to handle and does it well until one day when a document goes missing and is only found at the last minute to save the case. Even though everything turned out alright, Andy is fired by his senior partners in the firm. He is stunned by this news and thinks there may be other reasons involved. Andy believes that everyone has learned his secret, that he has AIDS, and that is the reason why he is fired. Andy approaches attorney Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to take his case against the law firm to court. Joe declines the case at first for personal reasons but once he sees Andy in the library working alone he talks with him more about his situation and eventually agrees to take the case. From here the movie becomes a courtroom drama for the most part but it does not get bogged down in legalese. We see Andy in his personal life quite a bit dealing with his disease along with his partner Miguel, played by Antonio Banderas. I think we have come a long way in this country with our sensitivity towards AIDS and it is not the taboo subject it once was. But in 1993, it still was just that and I give the filmmakers credit for making this film and approaching the subject and it's personal ramifications head on. Tom Hanks won the first of back-to-back Best Actor Oscars for his portrayal of Andy Beckett and it is well deserved.