I laughed when the little girl on Britains got talent fluffed her lines and burst out crying..... do...
I laughed when the little girl on Britains got talent fluffed her lines and burst out crying..... does that make me a bad person?
Member since:19.08.2001
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The "Green mile", is the name used in the film, for the walk from a prison cell to the electric chair. This film will make you think a little more about the death sentence and how the legal system works in general, although I must emphasise this film is purely fictional and aimed at being entertaining rather than a political statement.
The Story ********* Paul Edgecomb (played by Tom Hanks) is a prison guard on death row duty. He has watched men arrive and eventually die by his hand, in the electric chair, but nothing prepares him for a new inmate that will change his life forever.
Enter John Coffee (played by Michael Clarke Duncan) a huge bear like man, softly spoken, very simple and afraid of the dark. Coffee has been sentenced to death, for the rape and murder of two young girls and initially Edgecomb is understandably wary of this gentle giant.
As time progresses, Edgecombe becomes curious of this new inmate. Finding it hard to believe that this man could commit such an evil crime, he looks deeper into Coffee’s conviction and later on discovers that
there is a lot more to the case than meets the eye. There is also alot more to John Coffee himself!
Performing mice, gentle giants, evil men and the occasional miracle, this is no fairy tale, but truly engrossing viewing. There are many twists to the story and if I write more about the plot, then I feel it will spoilt for those that have not seen it yet.
The Cast and characters *********************** Paul Edgecomb - Played by Tom hanks. Edgecomb is a fair and just prison guard, worn down by the depressing duties he must undertake. Excellently cast for this role he gives a great performance. Hanks credits are huge, including roles in such films as "Apollo 13 (1995)", "Big (1988)","Forrest Gump (1995)", "Philadelphia (1993)" and most recently "Cast Away (2000)". There are many more!
John Coffee - Played by Michael Clark Duncan in his first ever acting role. Quiet and mysterious, with eyes like a big puppy dog, you can’t help liking this character. Duncan steals the film and quite rightly was nominated for an oscar for his role. He looks big on the screen through a bit of clever camera trickery, in real life he is “only” 6 foot 7 inches tall!
Brutus - Played by David Morse. Brutus is again, a very large man and used to looking over the top of prisoners heads until Coffee arrives and he has to start looking upwards for a change. Brutus is also fair and understanding, his loyalty to Edgecomb is unquestionable. Morse is a well established support actor and has appeared in many films such as “The Lawnmower man (1992)”, “Batman and Robin (1997” and “Con Air (1997” amongst many, many others.
Percy – Played by Doug Hutchinson. Percy is a weasel, the man you really would like to see take a very long walk off a very short plank. Brilliantly played by Hutchinson, his performance is equally as good as Hanks, he makes a very good baddie!! X-files fans might also remember him as the liver eating monster in “Tombs”.
Other Green mile actors to note are Hal Moores played by James Cromwell, Dean Stanton played by Barry Pepper and Harry Terwilliger played by Jeffry Demunn. Particularly watch out for performances by Michael Jeter and Sam Rockwell as Eduard Delacroix and William "Wild Bill" Wharton respectively. "Mr Jingles" the performing mouse will also get your attention and is definitely worth a mention!
Director ******** The Green mile was directed by Frank Darabont. Never heard of him? Well you might remember him for other films such as “Buried Alive (1990)”. Failing that, you “should” remember him for “The Shawshank Redemption (1994)”, one of the greatest movies ever made in my opinion. If you are interested, a review can be found in my list of opinions!
Writer ****** The Shining, TommyKnockers, The Langoliers, Storm of the century, IT and many more were all written by? Yes you guessed it Stephen King. This is just another masterpiece to add to his collection. This is also the second time that King and Darabont have worked together, and once again I have to mention their first combined effort “The Shawshank Redemption”!
Overall view ************ I found this film to be absolutely fascinating. The story was good, as was the acting. It is hard to find fault anywhere. All I will say is that at over 3 hours long, people with a short attention span may find it tough going. The views raised on the death penalty could be a whole new opinion on it’s own. It did make me question my own views on the subject. Rated “18” there are some quite disturbing scenes, but there are some lighter moments too.
So, summing up, watch it unless you are a bit squeamish or have ants in your pants and can’t sit still for long!
This review is based on the Video release, I am sure the DVD version comes with a few more bells and whistles attached!!!
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
"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...
"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...
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...
![The Green Mile [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78527693.jpg "The Green Mile [DVD] [2000]")
Sep 7th, 2001
(Dec 13th, 2003)
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