Writer/Director Frank Darabont had his one big hit in "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994). While that film only grossed about $28 million, it received a flood of Oscar nominations and innumerable airings on Turner superstations. It is now one of the most beloved films ever made.
One can hardly blame Darabont for returning to the themes of his biggest success. "The Green Mile" is also based on a Steven King story, is a prison movie set in the American past, and like "The Shawshank Redemption" stars a prisoner who is unjustly convicted of murder. It also has the same leisurely pace, and the same 'inspirational' sentimentality. It also creates the same divide between some critics and most filmgoers. The former notice and rebel against the unlikely characters and emotional manipulation, while the latter embrace both films wholeheartedly. "Shawshank" and "Mile" are (at the time of writing) #4 and #30 respectively on the imdb.com top 250 list.
There is also some similarity to "Saving Private Ryan". Both star Tom Hanks, who plays a dramatic hero. Both use an old man who is reflecting upon his life as a framing device.
The story takes place in Louisiana in the year 1935. Paul (Tom Hanks), suffering from an excruciating bladder infection, supervises a death row prison. He and his co-workers (David Morse and Barry Pepper among them) are all swell guys except for Percy (Doug Hutchinson). Percy is a jerk, a coward, a sadist, a pervert, and he's short. But don't worry, he gets his comeuppance.
With one exception, the death row prisoners are also great guys. Del (Michael Jeter) is a cajun who has adopted a clever, trained mouse as a pet. John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) is a gentle giant of a black man, who has supernatural healing powers. The exception, however, is about the most despicable man who ever lived, violent maniac and murderer Bill Wharton (Sam Rockwell). Don't worry, he also gets what's coming to him.
James Cromwell is the prison warden, and his wife (Patricia Clarkson) is suffering from a brain tumor. It doesn't take a film veteran to guess what happens next, although it is a surprise when soft-spoken Coffey inflicts judgment upon Wharton (who is already slated for death). Special effects include jittering bright lights, and green specks that rise and fall like firework entrails. The mouse is more impressive.
Darabont deserves credit, however, for making such a lengthy film so watchable. "The Green Mile" is 180 minutes long, but seems much shorter. This is partly due to the quality of the sets and costumes, which (unlike the dialogue) evokes the 1930s. The same story could have been made in half the length by a director of action films, but Darabont takes his time. The actors get plenty of close ups and dramatic pauses, while the electric chair and its rituals are examined at length. Perhaps the true legacy of "The Green Mile" will be to dramatize the barbarity of execution by electrocution. (58/100)
Miracles happen in unexpected places, even in the death-row cellblock at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. There John Coffey, a gentle giant of a prisoner w...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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