Darabont Scores Again

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2014)

The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man (Michael Clarke Duncan) accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.
Starting off early with "Top Hat", not unlike its use in "Purple Rose of Cairo", one wonders if this old film has grown in popularity since its earlier days... but this is neither here nor there.
The writing of Stephen King is largely dismissed by critics, and the movies made of his books are very hit and miss. The same with Frank Darabont, whose work is overall nothing terribly special. Yet, somehow when they come together, they do amazing things, at least with prison films. Both this and "Shawshank Redemption" have sat firmly on IMDb's Top 250, usually very high on the list.
And this one should be. Maybe not high art like the French new wave films or the works of Chaplin, Kubrick and others, but this is a movie that will be timeless. One hundred years from now, it will still be remembered and enjoyed by fans. And that means something.