Today’s quick review: The Green Mile. In 1935, prison guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) encounters John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a gentle death row inmate with miraculous healing abilities. As the time ticks down to John’s execution, Paul wrestles with his conscience over his duty to execute a man he increasingly believes to be innocent.
The Green Mile is a prison drama with supernatural elements based on a story by Stephen King. The Green Mile is a movie that features impressive writing, a strong dramatic cast, and a dash of the unknown. An unusual watch, The Green Mile touches on themes of life and death, punishment and repentance, and the afterlife, painting them in striking colors using the dramatic backdrop of death row and John Coffey’s mysterious healing abilities.
The Green Mile weaves a credible drama from simple elements. Tom Hanks plays a thoughtful and responsible Paul Edgecomb, the overseer of death row at a penitentiary. Michael Clarke Duncan plays opposite him as gentle giant John Coffey, a slow-witted but kind-hearted man with miraculous powers. The characters of the jail, an ailing woman, and a mouse are all the movie needs to tell a compelling, human story.
The most obvious comparison point for The Green Mile is The Shawshank Redemption. Both movies are prison dramas adapted from Stephen King stories, and both are written and directed by Frank Darabont. The Green Mile is somewhat more abstract than its counterpart, and The Shawshank Redemption trumps it in terms of plot, depth, resonance, and catharsis. Still, The Green Mile is a capable film in its own right, with all-around solid execution.
Watch The Green Mile when you are in the mood for thoughtful drama with good characters and a patchwork plot. Though its heavy subject matter and three-hour length make it something of a commitment, The Green Mile has the quality to make it well worth a watch for anyone curious. Skip it if you are looking for a light, tidy, or plot-oriented movie.
8.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 for excellent, moving drama.