A Masterpiece of Cinematic Art -- Captivating, Reverent, Tear-Inducing

Rating: 9/10 (19 August 2011)

"The Green Mile" expertly mixes film genres: It's part prison flick, part supernatural mystery and part drama. It was adapted from Stephen King's novel by director/writer Frank Darabont and released in 1999. If you're not an admirer of Stephen King books/films (I'm not) DON'T let that deter you from viewing this beautiful and spiritually-profound film; "The Green Mile" is by no means a typical horror story, although it does have a couple of horrific scenes.
THE STORY: Tom Hanks plays the head Death Row guard at a Tennessee prison during the Depression. A new inmate is introduced, a hulking black man named John Coffey (exquisitely played by Michael Clarke Duncan), who is condemned to death for the rape and murder of two little girls. Hanks and his guard friends slowly become intrigued by the seemingly pure-hearted giant and begin to realize that he is eminently gifted in a decidedly supernatural way; they conclude that there's no way he could be guilty of the crime. If that's the case, who is guilty? And will the guilty party get away with it.
"The Green Mile" is a 3-hour film, way over my limited attention span, and yet it is somehow utterly engrossing, even on repeat viewings. The film is character/dialogue driven, unique and wholly unpredictable. Please don't mistake this for a run-of-the-mill prison flick. The fact that it largely takes place in a prison in the 1930s is a secondary issue. This is an incredibly powerful supernatural mystery/drama.
*** SPOILER ALERT *** (Don't read this next paragraph unless you want to consider possibilities about the character John Coffey)
John Coffey's last name is, evidently, derived from an ancient Sumerian word, kophi, which means "winged creature." Hence, John could be viewed as a angel or messenger from the Almighty. In truth, John is an obvious type of Jesus Christ verified in six ways: (1.) His initials are J.C. (2.) He's completely pure/good-hearted and can easily recognize true evil. (3.) He miraculously heals people. (4.) He pronounces and executes divine judgment. (5.) He is sacrificed even though completely innocent. And (6.) He offers eternal life (in a sense), as evidenced by the extended life-span of the Hanks character and the mouse "Mr. Jingles."
*** End SPOILER ALERT ***
BOTTOM LINE: Make no mistake, "The Green Mile" is one of the greatest films ever made. It ranks up there with my 5 or 10 best. Don't miss out on this cinematic masterpiece. Now please excuse me while I wipe the tears from my face.