The Green Mile

The Green Mile, directed by Frank Darabont and based on a Stephen King story, revisits prison life with a spiritual edge. Tom Hanks is steady, while Michael Clarke Duncan brings real heart. Set almost entirely on Death Row, its slow pace mirrors the routine and inevitability of execution. The soft lighting and measured camerawork add a quiet melancholy. At over three hours, it’s powerful but indulgent—moving at times, but it does test your patience.

Great acting by everyone involved, but the story is just not my cup of tea. If you like fake miracles (no shortage of people that do) and fantasy storylines, like prison guards that are humane and empathic (on death row nonetheless), then you might enjoy this more. I, however, will stick to more realistic fantasy, like mages fighting orcs and that sort of thing, and leave this in the trash pile of conservative media.

"Edgecomb" (Tom Hanks) is in charge of the prison officers who tend to the inmates on death row. He's a decent man who, with the help of his partner "Howell" (David Morse) tries to carry out his task as humanely as possible. Their team also numbers the truly odious "Percy" (Doug Hutchinson). He's an incompetent coward, but he also happens to be the nephew of the state governor, so tends to get away with his obnoxiousness towards the prisoners. That nasty behaviour becomes more pronounced when the giant "Coffey" (Michael Clarke Duncan) arrives. Also newly arrived is a small mouse which befriends, much to the chagrin of "Percy", a fellow inmate (Harry Dean Stanton) and oddly enough it seems to help keep the peace as people come and go. Things take quite an intriguing turn when some physical contact between their gentle giant and "Edgecomb" seems to cure his liver complaint. As the officer...

A Masterpiece of Cinematic Art -- Captivating and Reverent The head Death Row guard at a Tennessee prison during the Depression (Tom Hanks) observes a new inmate, a black man named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), who is condemned to death for the rape and murder of two little girls. He and his fellow guards become intrigued by the gentle giant and conclude that there's no way he could be guilty of the crime. Who, then, is guilty? And will the guilty party get away with it. "The Green Mile" expertly mixes film genres: It's part prison flick, part supernatural mystery and part drama. It was adapted from Stephen King's novel by director/writer Frank Darabont and released in 1999. If you're not an admirer of Stephen King books/films (I'm not), DON'T let that deter you from viewing this beautiful and spiritually-profound film; it's by no means a typical horror story, although it does...