Can a long life be worse than death?

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2002)

With all the pain & suffering in the world, can a long life be worse than death? Is it possible to live too long and see too much? "The Green Mile" raises these questions, and a whole lot more. Directed to perfection by Frank Darabont, superbly acted by an ensemble cast and with an original story by Stephen King and Frank Darabont, this is as good as it gets at the movies. I won't make the often-stated claim that "this is the best movie of all time" or even the best film I've ever seen, but it manages to deal with real spiritual and existential issues as meaningful as life and death, pain and suffering, and "sin" and "retribution" in a way I've rarely had the privilege of seeing on film, and manages to entertain to the max as well (if you liked it, try "Dead Man Walking" as well). It's also the best book-to-film adaptation I've ever seen, bar none. 10/10