This movie stems from the classic novel by John Steinbeck, one of the USA?s most prominent writers. First released as a book in 1937 it traces the lives of George Milton and his dim witted friend Lenny Small as they try to find work during the Depression of the 1930s. Lenny is a very strong man whose development has been arrested to the point where he has the thinking capacity of a small child. George took him on years before when Lenny?s aunt died and the two have been travelling together for a fair while looking for work. Unfortunately, at each place they stop to work, Lenny?s inability to reason causes a problem and the two have had to move on very quickly on occasions.

The movie opens as the two are running from the latest problem. Lenny liked the red dress the lady was wearing and when he tried to touch it the lady panicked. Lenny panicked too and ripped the dress and the boys ran off with the farm hands and their dogs in hot pursuit. They manage to get away and then move on to the next place of work in California, stopping for a night beside a stream before starting at the ranch where they meet a mixed bunch of characters.

The boss is an overbearing man only interested in getting the barley harvested as quickly as possible while the weather conditions are right. His son Curley is a sometimes boxer who likes to lord it over the hired help. Curley?s wife is trapped in a loveless marriage and she frets for the life she could have had, possibly in the movies, while remaining under Curley?s thumb. George and Lenny prove to be good workers although Curley?s wife takes a liking to the new boys, finding excuses to talk to both of them, much to Curley?s disgust.

Lenny is a big hit as he can carry more barley sacks faster than any one else and he and George settle in to life on the ranch. The boys have a dream of buying a little place of their own so they can settle down and not have to deal with the hassle of travelling around to find work. If only they can stick at a job for long enough they will be able to save the money to buy their dream place but trouble seems to follow them wherever they go.

There is an old, one-handed man called Candy who works on the ranch. He has a very old dog and one of the other ranch hands takes the dog out to shoot it, claiming the dog is too old to live a useful life. In one of the very moving moments of the film we wait for the gunshot to happen off in the distance as Candy struggles with the concept of letting his lifelong companion down. But Candy appears as the boys? saviour when he overhears their dream and wants to join in. With the compensation money Candy received after losing his hand the group at last have almost got the price required. They only have to work for another month or so and not waste any money and they will have it all.

But as usual trouble finds a way of dashing the dreams. Two incidents leave the boys on edge. Firstly Curley tries to aggravate Lenny into fighting him. George manages to restrain Lenny up to a point but finally George tells Lenny to stop Curley. In a supreme show of strength, Lenny grabs Curley?s hand and proceeds to crush it in his vice like grip.

In the second incident, Lenny has been given a pup to keep by one of the other men. But one day, while he playing with the pup when they are alone in the barn and Lenny accidentally kills it. Curley?s wife finds Lenny in the barn mourning the pup and proceeds to talk to Lenny, offering that he can stroke her hair. But Lenny goes a bit overboard and when the woman starts to scream Lenny tries to make her stop, snapping her neck in the process and killing her. George and Candy find Lenny at the scene and help Lenny get away.

But George must make a horrible decision when he finds out that Curley intends to hunt Lenny down and kill him. Either Lenny will be found by the men who will take him and put him in an institution or he will be caught by Curley and killed. George goes off to find Lenny at their pre-arranged meeting spot and while telling Lenny the story of their dream place George puts a gun to Lenny?s head and shoots him rather than see him suffer at the hands of the others.

This is one powerful story and there are a host of richly drawn characters to get to know. George is a man with dreams who stays with Lenny despite the fact that Lenny?s childlike reasoning ability usually gets them into trouble. Lenny is the quintessential gentle giant who doesn?t know his own strength. Candy is the old man apparently at the end of his useful life, much like his dog. Curley is a horrible piece of work who loves to bully people, including his wife and his workers. His wife mourns for lost chances and tarts it up for the workers. I found it to be great story and one where I am interested enough to go out looking for the book. If the book is as good as the movie I will be well satisfied.

Sinise, who directs the film and stars in it does a good acting job as the likeable George while Malcovich puts on a wonderful performance as the gentle giant. The rest of the cast are competent. I haven?t seen the 1939 version of the film but I might just go looking for it too. The film and video guide I have says this is not a very good remake but I reckon it did OK. I got interested in the whole story and was glad I managed to get the gig reviewing it.

THE EXTRAS

Only Language and Scene Selection and the Original Movie Trailer are offered which I thought was a bit thin in this day and age.

CONCLUSION

Trouble follows George and his gentle giant friend Lenny about as they try to make enough money during the Depression to buy their own place to settle down in. Lenny has the thinking capacity of a child but the strength on a man mountain and both get him in to trouble despite George?s best efforts to channel Lenny. In the end George is faced with the difficult decision of what to do with Lenny when Lenny accidentally kills a woman. Will it be institutionalisation or leaving Lenny to the bullying woman?s husband or will George be forced to act himself?