The classic story by John Steinbeck gets reverential treatment in the 1992 version of Of Mice and Men. The screenplay adaptation by Horton Foote follows the plot closely, without succumbing to the temptation to gussy it up. Gary Sinese, as director, also sticks to a spare, even stark style. The result is a film that is firmly focused on the heart.

George and Lennie

Sinise also plays George, with a careful balance of irascibility and tenderness. John Malkovich, an inspired choice, plays Lennie, his friend with the powerful body and weak mind. The two wander through the Depression, finding jobs where they can and holding them only so long as Lennie can stay out of trouble. As much as he complains, George knows that they complete each other, and that he needs Lennie as much as Lennie needs him.

Someday soon they'll have a little farm of their own. For now, though, they find themselves on a ranch where the boss's wife (Sherilyn Fenn) is kept a virtual prisoner. Her husband Curley (Casey Siemaszco) is a bully, a man who would be dangerous to Lennie under any circumstances. But when his wife looks to Lennie both as someone to tease and someone from whom she can get a little comfort, the results are tragic.

This is one of those stories so familiar that it's hard to feel it again as if for the first time. To that end, everyone involved has taken care to remove any trace of irony or self-referential smugness. What is left is a story biblical in its simplicity and Shakespearean in its strength.