Compelling and provides entertainment throughout; one of the best films I've seen in a long time, and one which really got to me internally, I'd recommend you to watch this.

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2016)

'The Green Mile' once again reunites Frank Darabont with Stephen King, after the excellent 'The Shawshank Redemption' first brought their respective geniuses together. It's centered around a small cast of unique characters, a mostly singular location and an emotionally moving story; it's themes of injustice, inevitability, benevolence and miracles raise it above the typical 'prison film' fare - making it something that's actually rather poignant. It's different to what I expected it to be, telling a small-scale story with some unexpected supernatural elements, and is pretty emotionally powerful throughout. It is actually fairly compassionate, with the prison guards being portrayed as kind and gentle for the most part. There isn't an emphasis on brutality or malevolence, and each of the inmates is made to be sympathetic. It is often compared to 'The Shawshank Redemption', for it's setting and key crew - as well as a very similar score by Thomas Newman. While I do prefer 'Shawshank' - a film which is on the top end of my ten favourite films of all time - I certainly appreciate this as well, and honestly feel that it is a very different experience.
The script is excellent, proving that Darabont knows how to write. I'm not sure how much of the dialogue is lifted directly from the novel, but the film creates a plethora of rounded and relatable characters that hold the film together. It's as much a character study as it is a larger story, but both elements are handled spectacularly. Each character feels like a real person, with motivations and desires as well as specific personalities; every decision they make fits them perfectly, and there are no sudden changes of heart just for the sake of the film. The characters are brought to life with amazing performances from every cast member - especially Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse and Michael Jeter. Special mention needs to be made for Sam Rockwell, who stars in a fairly major role that isn't mentioned much. It further solidifies him as an excellent actor, and he is giving 100% to this role; he is incredibly ferocious, energetic and downright despicable. His character, along with Doug Hutchinson's sadistic prison guard, is perhaps the closest thing the film has to a villain - which may be it's most conventional aspect. All of the characters are compelling and given just the right amount of screen-time. The general story is, as I mentioned, small in scale and most of the film is confined to a single prison 'block'. This actually helps the picture greatly, as it allows it to focus on the people and events that are important to the narrative.
The film is a very long one, clocking in at just over three hours, but it kept my attention throughout; I can honestly say that the time flew by, and that the film didn't feel over-long at all. I can't think of a single scene that should have been cut. Perhaps there are a couple that could have, but every scene serves a purpose - whether to advance the plot, develop the characters or even just to provide a little humour. Speaking of which, the picture does feature some light-hearted and funny elements sprinkled throughout. I actually thought that it's tone worked perfectly, and the humour never felt cringe-inducing or out of place; it fit into the story really well, helping to balance out some of the emotionally heavier scenes. The movie does have it's fare share of those too. Scenes featuring Michael Clark Duncan's character in particular were very moving, and his performance is very strong. He has a few short monologues that solidify the themes of the film without shoving them down your throat, which are thought-provoking and wistful. An ending piece of narration also feels remarkably poignant and really makes you think. The film does a very good job of balancing the heavy with the light, effortlessly playing with several emotions at once, so much so that one scene had me practically hiding behind my hands - because the events within it were horrific for a certain sympathetic character - and then another shortly after had me smiling at the connection between a man and a mouse. It not only makes you sad but also happy, a rare combination; it's touching, somber, funny, heartbreaking and entertaining.
Overall, 'The Green Mile' is an excellent movie with an impactful story, compassionate outlook and believable characters; it is incredibly well directed, acted and written. Not only is it compelling and provides entertainment throughout it's long run-time, it's emotionally stirring and generally moving. One of the best films I've seen in a long time, and one which really got to me internally, I'd recommend that everyone take the time to watch this: 8/10