- Description
Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is a lawyer. A young, brilliant lawyer. Gay, HIV-infected. He's kept his illness a secret for a long time, convinced it's unrelated to his service to his clients. And then one day he's fired, supposedly for incapacity. But Andy knows why he lost his job. Prejudice, fear, panic and resentment have robbed him of it. Discrimination. He knows his time is up, but he's not giving up. He looks for a lawyer to help him in his lawsuit against his parent company - and finds one. African-American Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) isn't as successful as Andy used to be, but his steadfast belief in the law makes him an ideal ally. Still, he is reluctant to take Beckett's case. Like the defendants, like the jury, like everyone else, he dislikes homosexuals, loathes them and abhors AIDS. And perhaps it is because of his reluctance that he finally accepts, convinced that in a city where the U.S. Constitution has been declared, guaranteeing equality for all, this fight cannot be given up. The lawsuit begins. The inspiration for the film is said to have been the illness of a close friend of the director, Jonathan Demme, with AIDS...