John Steinbeck's depression-era story of decent George and his dumb friend Lenny is one of those tales almost too heartbreaking to bear a re-telling: a tragedy, in retrospect, of utter inevitability. Neither of its heroes have a malicious bone in their bodies, nor does their nasty boss Curly have any hope of moral redemption. This adds to the force of the ending, but also reduces the subtlety of the journey to reach it. But this is a decent adaptation and Gary Sinise and John Malkovich as the two men both put in good performances. I particularly like the way the camera picks out the whites of Sinise's eyes, which seems to emphasise the fact that this is a man committed to permanent, though ultimately fruitless, vigilance. But overall, there's a little too much unremittable pain to make watching 'Of Mice and Men' an entirely entertaining experience; you'll probably enjoy it more if you don't already know the story.
Review of Of Mice and Men
