The Green Mile
Directed by Frank DarabontBased on Stephen King's 1996 novel of the same name. Stars Tom Hanks as a death row corrections officer during the U.S. Great Depression who witnesses supernatural events that occur after an enigmatic inmate (Michael Clarke Duncan) is brought to his facility.
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The Green Mile Ratings & Reviews
- 匚卂尺ㄥFebruary 7, 2025Such a great film is The Green Mile, which is based on the six-part novelette by Stephen King. yes, I can hear some of you now: "Stephen King? No way would I watch such a thing!" But in this case, you would be wrong, as the story, faithfully adapted to film, and the acting are beyond reproach, IMO. I'm not much of a Stephen King novel fan (Carrie and The Shining took care of that), but I did a bit of research on the novel to see how it corresponded/not corresponded to the film. Apparently, King issued the Green Mile as a series of 6 short stories/semi-novels from 1995-1996, which were later combined into one long novel which became the film. The continuity of the film is done amazing well, when one considers its origins. The Green Mile is a flashback story of a Paul Edgecomb, a one-time upper ranked correctional officer at Cold Mountain Prison in Louisiana, whose work area was "The Green Mile," the long corridor of jail cells set aside for men destined for execution. His story/ies take place in 1935, so during the depths of the Depression, which hit the South and Midwest at its hardest. Like funeral parlor workers, correctional officers are not without work, though the threat of firing/layoff always hangs heavy over all the correctional officers' heads throughout the film. The story revolves around Edgecomb's correctional charges, but most particularly around a prisoner name John Coffey ("...like the drink, only not spelt the same," says Coffey [Michael Duncan Clark] upon arrival). Condemned for the brutal rape/murder of two little Louisiana girls, it doesn't take Edgecomb (brilliantly played by Tom Hanks in a dramatic role worth his muster) long to realise that the man and the act don't seem to correspond. The film takes time to develop each character, which I always enjoy: Edgecomb's fellow officers are decent upstanding men with a tough job, but they do it well - combining their jobs into father-confessors and tough disciplinarians, but never forgetting that, except by the grace of God, they could easily be behind those bars as well. Certain "nemesis" characters are also well-developed - for example, Percy Wetmore [Doug Hutchison], the nephew of the governor's wife, whose purpose in being a correctional officer becomes clear by midway through the film. More chilling is the prisoner William Wharton [Sam Rockwell], aka "Wild Bill/Billy the Kid" (the references are explained in the film) who hides a secret beyond his evil deeds known to the officers. As in the case of many King films, Wharton's character looks eerily like Stephen King himself (I have always suspected it's written into movie contracts with King that at least one character must faintly resemble him). However, the enigma of the film (and its main thrust) is the character of John Coffey - a slow, child-like mountain of a man played with pathos and and earthiness. Like Wharton, he too has a secret to hide, but as this slowly reveals itself, it is far more uplifting than that of the former. The film (rated 18(UK), corresponding to its R rating in the US) runs 188 minutes (slightly over 3 hours), but the story is so intriguing, you rarely notice the length (in many ways, you want the story to keep going). There is obviously some violence (it's a prison, after all, as the main locus) including three executions in the old-style electric chair of the times (one such execution is really quite graphic and worth fast-fowarding after about a minute or so, as you'll get the point). However, none of the violence is, IMO, gratuitous and merely advances the points of the story. Be on the lookout for a few continuity/errors on the film, which are worth noting here: the most serious "factual errors" I happened to note, as a Southerner, were in geography and premise: the movie is set in Louisiana, with the prison is called "Cold Mountain Penitentiary." In the opening prison scenes, the backdrop is a set of weathered, tree-covered mountains similar to the Blue Ridge or Smokey Mountains of the Southeastern U. S. However, there are no mountains of any kind in the state of Louisiana. The highest point in the state of Louisiana is 535 ft. above sea level, and is in the far northern part of Louisiana, right near the Arkansas/Louisiana state line (however, to be fair, this does appear to be the part of the state where the film is set). Further, set in 1935, this film depicts executions in Louisiana being carried out by electrocution, but the Louisiana Legislature did not change the method of execution from hanging to electrocution until 1940. Additionally, executions were carried out at local courthouses in Louisiana until 1957, when they were moved to a specific state prison. The only other anachronism/error I noted was that, in 1935, it was highly unlikely that a radio station in Depression-era Louisiana would give airplay to a Billie Holiday record. Timewise, this film was set 2 years before the death of black singer <a href="[...]">Bessie Smith</a>, who died in 1937, while on the way to a show in Memphis when she was killed in a car accident in rural Tennessee. The rumours surrounding her death still persist: it is said Smith bled to death because Jim Crow Laws in the South prohibited a white hospital from accepting a black patient, and Smith was turned away, to die in a black hospital in Mississippi some 50+ miles away. IMO, it's important to note this since, as great singers as Smith and Holiday were, sadly, neither were known by radio airplay for white audiences during their lifetime (most of their white audience popularity occured only from occasional live performances at mixed clubs, but actually grew after their respective deaths). In all, The Green Mile is film worth seeing. Nominated for 4 Oscars in 2000 (and sadly outbid that year by The Cider House Rules), and winner of 13 prestigious film awards, including the People's Choice Awards, this film will intrigue you, challenge what you think you know about good vs. evil, life vs. death, and whether miracles still occur.
- Fupsen2d agoOne of the best movies i have ever watched and saddest and the 3 hour and 8 min are all worth it
- mickerdooJuly 3, 2025A masterpiece of the forces of good and evil. Evokes so much feeling in every aspect. Entire cast plays perfect. A must see.
- RyezooFebruary 20, 2025Interesting story with great acting from Tom Hanks and Michael Clark Duncan. I liked all the sci-fi-ish twists the movie has and also that character/actor that played Percy was a perfect villain. The movie is a tad bit long though and honestly they could of shaved off about 30 mins. Still a very touching moving
