On November 27, 1978, Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were killed in city hall by former city supervisor Daniel White.Time: Time 100: Harvey Milk (June 14, 1999)

• "On a project whose greatest danger lay in its potential to come across as agenda-driven agitprop, the filmmakers have crucially infused the story with qualities in very short supply today -- gentleness and a humane embrace of all it' characters, even of the entirely vilifiable gunman."— VarietyVariety: Milk Review (November 2, 2008)

• "On the whole, it's a shame Gus Van Sant was working from such a by-the-book, greatest hits screenplay, but his creativity as a director allows the film to steer clear of some anticipated pitfalls."—In ContentionInContention: Thoughts on Milk and Frost (October 28, 2008)

• Sean Penn as Harvey Milk
• Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones
• Josh Brolin as Dan White
• James Franco as Scott Smith
• Diego Luna as Jack Lira
• Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg
• Lucas Grabeel as Danny Nicoletta
• Victor Garber as Mayor George Moscone
• Denis O'Hareas State Senator John Briggs
• Joseph Cross as Dick Pabich
• Howard Rosenman as David Goodstein
• Brandon Boyce as Jim Rivaldo
• Kelvin Yu as Michael Wong