The Green Mile, 1999

The Green Mile, 1999
Director: Frank Darabont
Cast: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse



Stage: Home theatre, on the lovely Saturday night

The Green Mile in short: Paul Edgecomb is a slightly cynical veteran prison guard on Death row in the 1930's. His faith, and sanity, deteriorated by watching men live and die, Edgecomb is about to have a complete turn around in attitude. Enter John Coffey, He's eight feet tall. He has hands the size of waffle irons. He's been accused of the murder of two children... and he's afraid to sleep in a cell without a night-light. And Edgecomb, as well as the other prison guards - Brutus, a sympathetic guard, and Percy, a stuck up, perverse, and violent person, are in for a strange experience that involves intelligent mice, brutal executions, and the revelation about Coffey's innocence and his true identity.


Preps: I have read the book and seen the movie several times. Although it's three hours long, I have always this inner sense, like a citizen duty, to see it again, if I have the chance.


Reality: The storyline is striking. The Green Mile is the name for the last few yards someone takes before dying under law conviction in a jail. In this case, you follow a convict of enormous size, his inner strenght and special powers that make him the most special guy in the prison and this the amazing story you can easily buy. We love to believe in miracles, if they are put on screen with a powerful story (Stephen King's novel) and powerful cast, they can make a challenge to find something you don't like in a movie. In this sense, you will be touched several times and filled with most powerful feelings - like you would open the Pandora's box in some sense.

The story within a story, making two retired people come closer together with this amazing story that happened 50 years ago, it makes this piece even more worth seeing. And makes you think about your sins and the things you should remorse. It will not make me more religious - not in the catholic way anyway. But it makes me inspired and thinking all miracles can happen if you believe they can. The will will find the way and the good will surpress evil. In all this positive feelings you get squashed by the impossible hatred you find for the governmental laws and all the bad guys that go away and good guys that get a conviction like this and cannot do anything about it.

However, the idea of the movie is positive and will inspire you with some actions you will want to take in order to make some good. If the green mile seems so long, you need to walk through it and face your responsibilities. The movie will inspire you to do so. Return the good with good. And will fill you with a terrible feeling towards the system, because one person cannot bend it, even though you have a solid evidence it's wrong or it did unjustice.


My personal rating: 8,0 (one of the most touching ones on the topic. Truly a great piece you will find interesting and suited to the soul).

The Green Mile on IMDB