Blah, blah, blah - I'm bored and etc. Anybody got a car they want washing?
Blah, blah, blah - I'm bored and etc. Anybody got a car they want washing?
Member since:03.10.2000
Reviews:231
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I got this film as a pressie and didn't really want to watch it. I didn't care for another in the long line of Tom Hanks Oscar winning films but when you're drugged up to high heaven on paracetamol and cough mixture somethings just make sense. But should I get drugged up again and watch something else of the same ilk?
Well after this I'm off to the Chemists as I want more of the same. This is an excellent film of that there's no doubt but it does have it's faults. Retired prison warden Paul Edgecomb recalls the story of how one of the prisoners on his death row cell block changed the lives of everyone he touched. John Coffey has been convicted of double murder and sentenced to death by electrocution, and Edgecomb and his team are the ones responsible for guarding him and pulling the switch. But Coffey has the gift of healing...and the warden's wife is terminaly ill. I'm not spoiling the ending or adding anything else so don't ask.
The subject matter is decidedly gruesome and it comes as no suprise that the original story is a Stephen King effort. Is that a bad thing? Not in itself, but the film does betray it's novel roots at times, being sometimes predictable and wrapping up several of it's loose ends a little bit too perfectly. The phrase 'poetic justice' springs to mind more than once.
A little focused at times, the film seems to concentrate on small parts of the story rather than give a sense of a bigger picture. Possibly a little bit A-leads-to-B-leads-to-C at times and you'll manage to figure out what's going to happen three scenes before it actually happens. Similarly we get no sense of time. The whole thing could have happened in two days or two years - we just never get that feeling of time that crops up in The Birdman of Alcatraz and the like. But does it matter? There's so much quality on the screen that it doesn't really seem to be a problem until you look back at the end of the film.
Like Saving Private Ryan and Titanic the entire story is started and finished by a modern day 'recalling' and in this case the ending is very poor. *** Spoiler alert (If you don't want to know this, skip to the next paragraph) - The final scenes of Edgecomb and the mouse are very unnecessary and indeed the entire life expanding element is somewhat pointless. Yes Edgecomb feels guilty for taking Coffey's life but should justice be served in this way? Do we (the audience) even need to see this? It's not needed and detracts from the rest of the film. Others may disagree but tough ***.
The cast are excellent and even though Hanks is on Oscar nominee overload he still gives a moving performance that does deserve praise. Likewise the rest of the cast are first rate and their characters, although a little pantomime and exagerated, are easily identified with, drawing the audience in and making us warm to them.
The effects are used sparingly but are excellent and the scenes of the executions are both gruesome and explicit.
At over three hours this is a long film and no mistake, but it never drags and will keep you entertained throughout. An excellent film which, while not having faults, certainly has personnal niggles, but these shouldn't stop you from seeing it.
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I must say that I have a general antipathy towards Hanks outside the comedy genre; somehow I find the actor just intrudes too much on the performance. I've not seen this film but I will try to put aside my preconceptions if the opportunity arises to catch it. Paul.
polli 19.03.2001 17:03
I recently rented this film, nut due to various things didn't get to see all of it. I loved what I did see and your op has convinced me to make the effort to see the rest. Thanx
"The book was better" has been the complaint of many a reader since the invention of ... more
films.The Green Mileis Frank Darabont's second adaptation of a Stephen King prison dramaThe Shawshank Redemptionwas the first) and is a very faithful adaptation of Kin...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
"The book was better" has been the complaint of many a reader since the invention of ... more
films.The Green Mileis Frank Darabont's second adaptation of a Stephen King prison dramaThe Shawshank Redemptionwas the first) and is a very faithful adaptation of Kin...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) is a slightly cynical veteran prison guard on death row in the ... more
1930's. Hi faith, and sanity, deteriorated by watching men live and die, Edgecomb is about to have a complete turn around in attitude. Enter John Coffey (Oscar nom...
Advantages: Fantastic Storyline, Acting Superb, Very Moving and a box office hit Disadvantages: It is 3 hours long and thats the only bad thing you could say
DJ_Rock 16.08.2001 (03.09.2001)
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Review of The Green Mile (DVD)
![The Green Mile [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78527693.jpg "The Green Mile [DVD] [2000]")
Feb 12th, 2001
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