Well crafted character study

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2000)

Stephen King knows how to spin a yarn. This is another terrific adaptation of a King novel that delivers a bittersweet story of a depression era Louisiana prison on the death row cell block. It presents numerous interesting character studies that induce strong emotions for the various characters. There is also a lot of irony here with good guys who are evil and bad guys who are good.
Director Frank Darabont, who missed out on an Oscar with Shawshank Redemption' (also by Stephen King) to Forrest Gump' must have decided he wasn't going to beaten by Tom Hanks again and secured him for this film with wonderful results. Unfortunately, he was trumped at the Academy by Kevin Spacey and American Beauty', an injustice in my opinion.
Darabont again does a superlative job of creating the right mix of drama, imagery and human interest. My only criticism of his direction is that the film was much too long. It certainly could have been done in two hours instead of three with very little lost in the editing. We could have eliminated the entire first execution and rehearsal without any loss to the story except perhaps the sponge issue.
The acting was outstanding by all. Tom Hanks turns in another great performance as the tough but kind cell block boss. Hanks continues to show his versatility, excelling in both dramatic and comedic roles and moving effortlessly between them like a chameleon. David Morse mirrored Hanks as another tough guy with a heart and played the part nicely. Michael Clarke Duncan engendered a very sensitive and lovable nature to his character, making the contrast between his demeanor and physiognomy all the more striking. And I cannot leave out the uncredited star of the show, the little mouse who played Jangles.
Overall, a well crafted film and an excellent story that suffered slightly from excessive length. I rated it a 9/10. I would recommend it highly to anyone except those who are squeamish about graphic violence (such as the electrocution scenes).