We all have our own Green Mile...

Rating: 9/10 (23 December 2007)

This is one of the rare modern films that feels really timeless. A better example of ensemble acting couldn't be found...just about everyone excels in their roles here. But I would like to put in a special word for Dabbs Greer, who did an outstanding job of portraying the older version of Paul Edgecomb. This man was a fixture in early TV and popped up in many B- movies over the years. No matter what the role or the movie, he always did well and never seemed to get the break he deserved. In "The Green Mile", and the twilight of his years, he delivered an outstanding performance as the good-hearted prison guard who is cursed with too much life and too much knowledge. Terrific actor.
And so are the rest. Hanks is great as young Paul Edgecomb and brings restrained humor and warm humanity to his part. Also good is underrated David Morse as "Brutal", a mis- named prison guard who is a rock of stability. On the opposite end of likability is the detestable Percy Wetmore, one of the most obnoxious characters I've ever seen in a movie, brought to life by Doug Hutchinson, who needs kudos for tackling such a difficult role.
Everybody seems to get their own thread to add to this tapestry: Graham Greene, whose brief soliloquy before his death is nonetheless moving; James Cromwell as the prison warden who's wife is dying horribly until John Coffey intervenes; Michael Jeter, as the death row inmate who becomes the protector of Mr. Jingles; Patricia Clarkson, as the warden's wife who is saved by John Coffey.
The only slightly false note I thought came from Sam Rockwell's portrayal of Wild Bill, which is so over the top that he seemed more foolish than frightening.
Of course, the performance that drew the most publicity in "The Green Mile" belonged to huge Michael Clarke Duncan as the simple-minded miracle man John Coffey (note the initials J.C.). Duncan not only projects child-like innocence and a good heart, but the incredible suffering of a man who feels the pain of all the world. "It's like pieces of glass sticking in my head," he moans to Edgecomb, practically begging to be put to death. It would be a pretty hard heart that wouldn't shed a tear during the final execution scene.
A terrific movie, a fable for the modern day, that sucks you in and doesn't let go. There aren't many like this any more.