THE GREEN MILE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
With THE GREEN MILE, writer and director Frank Darabont (THE SHAWSHANK
REDEMPTION) is back with his second Stephen King adaptation. This time
it's the story of a gentle giant, John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan),
who wouldn't harm a fly or a mouse -- more on the rodent later. Since
he's a miracle worker who finds himself on death row, the story has a
fairytale aspect to soften somewhat its many horrific execution scenes.
Like a beloved old uncle who drops by to tell you a story, Darabont
rambles on and on, frequently letting himself get sidetracked. The
result is a full three-hour movie that has no business being any longer
than two. The viewers listen politely, trying not to fall asleep in the
long, slow moments because the acting from the ensemble cast is superb.
But with Darabont's proclivity for telegraphing every major plot turn
way in advance, much of the drama is removed.
In a performance certain to garner him another best actor nomination,
Tom Hanks plays Paul Edgecomb, the head guard of the death row section
-- called the "Green Mile" -- of Cold Mountain Penitentiary, where John
is sent to be fried in "Old Sparky" for supposedly killing and raping
two young girls. Like the rest of the story, the director never allows
for much doubt about the crime. (Why can't we have more mystery in our
motion pictures?)
Set in 1935, the claustrophobic movie takes place mainly within a few
rooms of a prison. David Tattersall's lush cinematography makes the few
images outside the prison walls warmly nostalgic and the ones inside,
when the miracles occur, magical.
So deeply religious is Paul that he constantly worries about how his
actions will affect his own Judgment Day in heaven. More a minister
than a guard to most of his inmates, he can deal effectively with
troublemakers if the situation calls for it. Even if he gets awards for
his performance, Hanks's work here is relatively middle of the road for
him, which is a compliment to his talents. He doesn't even have to
deliver his strongest work to justly be considered for an Academy Award.
A mouse named Mr. Jingles, who gets lots of screen time, steals scene
after scene with his antics. The often funny script becomes charming as
well when the little critter takes center stage to strut his stuff like
the circus insects in A BUG'S LIFE.
"Sometimes the green mile seems so long," we are told in narration. And
therein lies the problem. What should have been a great film turns into
merely an enjoyable one because of its drawn-out length. The
performances are admirable, but the characters aren't quite compelling.
You end up respecting the show more than liking it. As it constantly
tries to shock us with frightening images of people being electrocuted,
we find ourselves becoming dispassionate observers. Sometimes
intentional manipulation backfires as it does here. Being instructed to
cry on cue every time they turn on the juice, this member of the
audience just wasn't able to perform his role properly.
THE GREEN MILE runs a full hour too long at 3:03. It is rated R for
violence, language and some sex-related material and would be acceptable
for older teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, December 17.
In the San Jose area it will be playing at the AMC and the Century
theaters.
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Have I seen this movie: Yes
And what did I think: The Green Mile, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, is a thoroughly engrossing movie that will hook you in immediately. Although the movie clocks in just over three hours, you won't notice it too much. The film stars Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, the head of security on a death row block. Hanks gives another stellar performance here and should have been nominated for an Academy Award. Although as good as Hanks' performance, he is overshadowed by Michael Clark Duncan's performance as John Coffey, the gentle giant prisoner with supernatural healing powers. Duncan was nominated for an Academy Award but did not win. The director of this movie is Frank Daranbont, who directed another great prison movie, The Shawshank Redemption. The film is told as a fairy tale story by an old Paul Edgecomb in a nursing home. He tells one of his friends about his experience in 1935 when he met John Coffey and discovered his miraculous powers. When we meet John Coffey we instantly fall in love with him from his kindness, gentleness and meekness. He's even afraid of the dark. Coffey is accused of killing two little girls but I pretty much knew there was no way he could have done it. This movie will leave you with a good feeling through most of it. Although it's a prison movie, it's not like most movies where the prison is cruel and the inmates must fight for surival. We meet only a few prisoners on death row, and they are all very nice except for one, Wild Bill, who we find out later is a key to the plot. We even like Paul Edgecomb's fellow prison guards, except for one, Percy Wetmore, who eventually gets what's coming to him. The movie is filled with interesting characters, including Mr. Jingles, a very special little mouse who steals the scenes he is in. I fully reccomend watching the Green Mile and adding it to your movie collection. It's one of the best films I've seen in a while.
I Give The Green Mile 5 out of 5 stars
Review written June 15, 2000
