Having recently reviewed The Shawshank Redemption, it seemed only natural that I turn my attention to a film that appears to have much in common with it, The Green Mile. Both films are adaptations of Stephen king works, both were directed by Frank Darabont, both are set in prisons in the American south in the mid twentieth century and both these very human stories are regarded as two of the finest films of the late twentieth century. Yet for all their similarities they have very different tales to tell. Whereas the former film follows a twenty-year evolution of a story of humanity, spirit and friendship, The Green Mile covers a very small time scale. The film is based around Paul Edgecomb, a prison guard in charge of the death row block of the Cold Mountain Penitentiary; it's 1935. Although made slightly cynical by his years at the task, he is basically a good guy doing a difficult job and does his best to keep things as easy as possible for all concerned. Into this dreary but ordered little world comes John Coffey, a mammoth of a man accused of double murder. Coffey is a slow-witted man, who slowly reveals himself to have a special gift that affects the lives of those around him, prisoners and
wardens alike. His special gift leads Paul to question the mans guilt as he rationalises "would god give such a gift to a murderer?" What unfolds throughout the course of the film is a touching tale involving, executions, and intelligent mice and revelations regarding Coffey and the murder he is accused of.
Very much like the book it is based on, Darabont takes a long time to develop the characters before involving the man that is about to change their lives, in fact its about an hour in before we even meet John Coffey. Paul Edgecomb is played by Tom Hanks, a man that is pretty much a household name these days, and his considered and understated style is just right for the role here and he is surrounded by a quality cast. His right hand man, Brutus Howell is played by David Morse who has since come to light in Hearts in Atlantis and more recently 16 blocks and Barry Pepper as the young warden Dean Stanton is also excellent. (Check out his recent performance in Tommy Lee Jones, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada). The one bad apple amongst the good guys is the spoilt and violent Percy Wetmore played by CSI stalwart Doug Hutchinson who manages to portray the slimy yet connected troublemaker whose antics manage to spark many of the situations that arise. Michael Clarke Duncan as the gentle giant inmate who is the focus of the piece is outstanding, portraying a mix of childish innocence and prophetic knowledge that makes Paul question the world around him for the rest of his life. I should imagine that Michael Clarke Duncan is held back from many roles by his physical size, but here his sensitive portrayal of this almost Christ like figure is one that will go down in cinema history. In fact such is the charisma of Duncan that a lot of the time he appears not to be acting but merely being, something that they can't teach in stage school.
At three hours the film may, on paper anyway, seem overly long, especially considering that films of that length are normally all action blowouts like Lord of the Rings. But if the timing may seem overly long, in reality the film moves at a logical and well dictated pace, you not only get to know and like the wardens, with the exception of Wetmore, there is time to develop an affinity with not only John Coffey but some of the other inmates, which is quite an art considering that at no time are you allowed to forget that this is death row. In fact had this film been attempted in two hours it would have lost the detail and slow evolution that holds it all together and reverted to a series of minor plots merely based on the same set of characters. Like the Shawshank Redemption that it will always be compared to, this is a character driven piece and works superbly for the direction and the cast that play this tale out. It is the depth of character that wins the day rather than any major action or complexity of plot here.
What is also interesting here is the resolution of the film in that it leaves the meaning behind what has happened wide open. You are not spoon fed any moralistic optimism nor do you go away feeling down about the whole situation. There is no right or wrong as for all its gritty real world backdrop this has more than a touch of fantasy about it and that elevates it to something more than a diatribe on the ways of men and moves it into more philosophical territory. Stephen King is often dismissed as a bestseller writer, but you do find in his best work that he is a storyteller with all the power of Dickens. Add to that the masterful work undertaken by Darabont to bring this to life and you have a film that is not only being talked about six years down the line but one that will be talked about for many years to come.
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"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...
![The Green Mile [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78527693.jpg "The Green Mile [DVD] [2000]")
Aug 13th, 2006
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