"Milk" has one of the finest ensemble casts and a magnificent, career-topping, Oscar-winning performance by Sean Penn, who disappears into the title role. It is expertly made, rich with humor and poignancy, using a mix of recreated scenes shot in San Francisco and archival footage to give a convincing, panoramic portrait of the city, an era, and the man who changed both.

"Milk" refers to Harvey Milk, a San Francisco city supervisor who was gunned down in 1978 by fellow politician Dan White (Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Josh Brolin). The film tells the compelling story of how Milk became the country’s first openly gay man elected to public office.

Penn’s fascinating, multidimensional portrayal begins when Milk is 40 and living a buttoned-down life with a Wall Street job. Seeking a change, Milk and his lover, Scott Smith (an engaging, natural James Franco), move to San Francisco into the heart of the working-class Castro neighborhood.

Mostly, though, "Milk" is a powerful drama stirringly told. Milk may have been martyred at the prime of his political life, but screenwriter Dustin Lance Black does not attempt to sanctify him.

Rather, we get a clear-eyed portrait of man who is idealistic, determined, sardonic and ambitious.

Nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, "Milk" is a passionate history lesson, a broadside in favor of gay rights, and the engaging story of one flawed but courageous man. It is rated R and has a running time of 128 minutes.