Not Shawshank, but still haunting

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2010)

Frank Darabont again presents us a gritty look at prison life. But unlike his previous work, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile focuses not on the prisoners, but on the prison guards. The movie does a great job depicting both the humanity and the brutality that takes place inside the wooden jailhouse, dubbed "the Green Mile", where men sentenced to death row reside. Head guard Paul Edgecomb, played by the ever-amazing Tom Hanks, is disturbed by the gut-wrenching crime committed by new inmate John Coffey (Michael Duncan), but as he comes to know the gentle giant he begins to believe that John is actually innocent. This summary sounds simple enough, but once you reach the middle of the film, you find out that John is morelet's say, different from anyone else you've ever met.
Like its predecessor, Mile has a great unpredictable plot, amazing acting (especially from Hanks and Duncan), a wonderful script, and excellent direction. But it falls short, lacking the majestic spirit Shawshank embodies. One reason could be the static characters. They never seem to grow in wisdom or maturity. Sure the good guys are affected by John Coffey, but they never become better people; they have been practically faultless to begin with. And the bad guys, from start to finish, are cruel, sadistic psychos. Why they are so despicably evil is never explained, which bothers me since I like to see characters in shades of gray, not in black and white. But really, this is a just a pet peeve, and this mystery by no means diminishes the antagonists into cartoonish villains. Doug Hutchinson gives an electrifying performance as the cowardly bully Percy, who commits one of the most bloodcurdling atrocities I've ever seen on screen, and will incur utter disgust and rancor from anyone who has a beating heart. Still, I wish there could have been more character development in at least somebody. Another reason I didn't enjoy the movie as much is that it ends on a glum weird note, in stark contrast to Shawshank's optimistic and beautiful closure. The ending isn't dismal, but it definitely isn't happy either, and I am a sucker for happy endings.
Overall, watching this film is like undergoing surgery without anesthetics: the process is painful, and when it's done, you feel better, but the experience will haunt you for a long time afterward. Okay, I'm exaggerating about the pain part (I just have a real weak stomach) but you will definitely be haunted by this film. If you want to feel ghostly chills, engross yourself in a heart-breaking plot, and experience intense drama, this is it.