Miles long

"The Green Mile"
Overall Rating: ***½

This year, two prominent films have come out against the death penalty. Last spring, Clint Eastwood's "True Crime" presented a tale of a reporter searching for redemption who uncovers evidence suggesting that a convicted murderer might be innocent. Now, we have "The Green Mile." Like "True Crime," "The Green Mile" tells the story of a death-row convict who may be innocent--but that's about all the two films have in common.

The movie opens with the elderly Paul Edgecomb (Dabbs Greer as the old Paul, Tom Hanks as the younger) going for a morning walk. After his return to the nursing home, he sits down to watch TV with the other residents; when an upbeat dance sequence (Fred Astaire's "Cheek to Cheek" in "Top Hat") brings him to tears, he tells another resident what happened in 1935. When he was younger, he was a guard on Louisiana's death row, known as the "Green Mile;" 1935 was the year the enigmatic John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) was sentenced to death.

The story is very well written. It's difficult to elaborate on why the story is well written without spoiling the plot, however, the total work comes together very nicely. Elements that seem at first to be barely related to the story--such as the mouse that shows up in the cell block or Edgecomb's morning walks--turn out to be integral to the plot. The film is moving when it tries to be moving, suspenseful when it tries to build suspense, and even has a couple of laughs to break the tension. It's entertaining despite its length.

Yet I have mixed feelings about its length of more than three hours. It is slow paced, especially towards the beginning, so it feels extremely long. On the other hand, I can't imagine what they could have cut--there are very few scenes that are superfluous. Perhaps it's too long, but it also needs to be long.

Michael Clarke Duncan is wonderful. He gives John Coffey a very gentle demeanor, appropriate for the empathetic character. This gentleness is difficult for Duncan to pull off because his physically large character has an imposing presence, and is complicated by the fact his character is a convicted murderer. Duncan's performance subtly lets you know that something isn't as it appears, and Duncan owns every scene he's in. Two other actors also deliver strong performances in supporting roles: Michael Jeter (who plays the murderer Eduard Delacroix) and Doug Hutchison (who plays the sadistic prison guard Percy) are both excellent.

The animal trainers also deserve credit. Mr. Jingles--the mouse that visits death row--steals every scene he's in, and provides some relief from the serious tone.

A significant flaw is that two actors play Paul Edgecomb. Dabbs Greer and Ton Hanks don't look enough alike to pull it off, especially considering the numerous close-ups of both of them. With modern special effects makeup, an actor of any age can really play an adult of any age as long as the actor is up to the physical demands of the role, so the use of two actors was a major special effects gaffe, and also compromised both actors' performances.

I'm also unsure about the movie's depiction of death row. Aside from Percy, all the guards are portrayed as being gentle, as are most (though not all) of the condemned men. Despite a few violent incidents (all centering around two specific characters--one guard and one convict), the film's Green Mile often seems like a gentle place; I doubt a real death row would ever leave that impression and while the film generally doesn't try for stark realism, I think the filmmakers stretch may things here.

There are, however, several violent sequences, including a number of graphically-depicted executions, one tame sex scene, some limited nudity, much strong language, and several sequences where some characters express bigoted beliefs. "The Green Mile" may be safe for teens despite its R rating and some very strong content, but it's definitely not appropriate for young children.

Lining up Frank Darabont as director and screenwriter (Darabont's previous directing endeavor was "The Shawshank Redemption") and with Tom Hanks as the top-billed star in this adaptation of Stephen King's novel, "The Green Mile" could refer to the pile of money they laid out to make it. Fortunately, while the commercials' statements that this if the best film of the year are overwrought, the film is definitely worth laying out a little of your own green to see.

Title: "The Green Mile"
Release date: December 10, 1999

MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ***½

Aprox. run time: 188 min.
Director: Frank Darabont
Writers: Frank Darabont, Stephen King (novel)
Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/GreenMil.htm
Added to blog site: 7/28/09