One Of Modern Cinema's Finest Tearjerkers.

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2015)

From the director of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile is yet another poignant, touching & thoroughly gratifying prison drama that's patiently crafted, skilfully narrated & brilliantly performed and even though it's no match to Frank Darabont's 1994 masterpiece, it does carry an emotional weight that makes it one of cinema's finest tearjerkers.
Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, the story of The Green Mile is set during the 1930s and concerns a prison officer in charge of death row inmates at a penitentiary. The plot covers his & others guards lives' which is greatly affected when they find out that their newly arrived prisoner, a giant African-American man, is gifted with supernatural powers.
Written & directed by Frank Darabont, the film marks yet another adaptation of a Stephen King's novel by the filmmaker and once again, he has transformed it beautifully on the silver screen. The screenplay also deserves a mention for it takes care of the smallest of details & always keeps the focus on its characters. Plus, there is ample amount of character depth to be found here.
Cinematography makes excellent use of its camera in capturing the usually repetitive, dull & still life of prison and the warm colour tones are precisely executed. The passage of time in the prison is strongly felt in the film's own 188 minutes of runtime but it never becomes an chore for the drama is too absorbing & rich in content. Thomas Newman once again chips in with an evocative score and it only gets better as the film nears its finale.
Coming to the performances, The Green Mile features a reliable cast in Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell & others, and their contributions lift the drama up by a great extent. Hanks is once again at his usual best but it's Duncan who steals the show with a truly heartbreaking performance and the scenes between him & Hanks are a treat to watch. Morse is good, Hutchiston nicely sells his sadist character & Rockwell does fine in his cameo.
On an overall scale, The Green Mile is a wonderfully balanced motion picture that somehow manages to make its long runtime work in its favour. Sure it gets overly sentimental at times but none of those moments appear as a desperate attempt to move the viewers but genuine progression of the story. Also, the seamless blend between its supernatural elements & realistic setting allows the viewers to accept the story as it is without question and the film as a whole remains a gripping, heart-rending & emotionally shattering fable that's definitely worth your time & money.