First of all....I really liked it.

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2000)

First of all... I really liked it. Tom Hanks' latest film is just another prime example of how he has developed into a tremendous actor. While we may have enjoyed his previous films Splash, Turner & Hooch, Dragnet, Money Pit and the ever not-so-popular Joe and the Volcano, they are not of the same caliber as Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Private Ryan, and now The Green Mile. The Green Mile is a flashback story of a prison guard who supervised a "death row." His flashback story touches on the uniquely personal yet strange relationships that develop between the guards and death row inmates. The depression setting era adds to the true brutality and horror of the death sentence... not in an effort to dissuade a person from supporting the death penalty, but rather show the "executions" from both a revenge or retaliation perspective and also from a brutal and possibly unjust perspective.
The Green Mile is named after the long green corridor between the cells. Tom Hanks, as head guard Paul Edgecomb, shares his memories of the inmates who resided along the green mile. One inmate in particular is John Coffey, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, convicted of murdering two young girls. Hanks and the other guards (who are all excellently portrayed in this film) witness a few "miracles" along the green mile and struggle with Coffey's role in these "miracles."
The film is almost three hours in length, but to remove even a minute would do this film an injustice. This film is based upon a Stephen King novel, but if you are not too hyped on his work, you will be pleasantly surprised at how "mellow" this film adaption is compared to some of his others. The way these memories of death row inmates are shared is very personal and the audience member is drawn into a brief understanding of how it must feel to be a guard for death row. While an audience member might start to warm up to an inmate, you are quickly reminded of the reason for their incarceration.
Bottom line... while you may find The Green Mile a bit long (as most miles seem to be), I promise that you will enjoy each and every step along the way.