A masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2001)

This film, adapted from a book by Stephen King, is full of surprises. One thing which is NOT a surprise is the acting from this entire cast. They are all superb! Tom Hanks leads this outstanding cast, but no one really outdoes the others...they are simply all great. The film is set in 1935, at a prison in Louisiana, and focuses on Death Row, called the Green Mile. There are a couple of pretty gruesome scenes of executions, including one badly botched one. There is enough character development for the viewer to establish a relationship with all of the characters. Some of these characters are odious, to say the least. A couple are truly lovable. One character, that of John Coffey, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, is an amazing person. I'll not spoil the film for you, but I will say this particular character is the most lovable of all. You need to see this film at least one time! I think that once you've seen it, you will want to see it again. It is magical!