The Green Mile

It may be hard to believe but, the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Green Mile is fast approaching it's 20th anniversary. The film was released in December of 1999. It was a both a hit at the box-office and with critics, garnering a slew of various award nominations and winning a few along the way. Directed by Frank Darabont (who had just directed a big-screen version of  another King story, The Shawshank Redemption, a few years earlier) The Green Mile definitely a movie worth checking out if you've never seen it -or- if you're like me and just haven't rewatched it in a decade or so.

Set primarily in Louisiana in 1935, the film focuses on a prison cell block where death row inmates are kept. Named the 'Green Mile' because of the green colored floors, we're quickly introduced to the block's new inmate John Coffey (played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan). Although Coffey is an intimidatingly large man, he doesn't seem to have the personality or demeanor of a murderer. Coffey soon starts to endear himself to the guards, especially Paul (played by Tom Hanks) and they eventually discover that he has supernatural healing abilities. There are a couple small surprises along the way but overall I think it's a pretty straightforward story. The strength of this film, beyond just being an interesting story, is in the cast and how it's paced. The movie is a little over three hours long and sure, maybe a minute or two could've been shaved off. However, I think it mostly warrants that runtime and at no point do I feel like the movie drags scenes out unnecessarily. With regards to the cast, having a group consisting of actors like Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sam Rockwell, James Cromwell, David Morse, Michael Jeter, and Doug Hutchison really does help to elevate the material.

It's a good movie. I recommend it. 4 out of 5.