Practically Perfect in Every Way

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 1999)

Frank Darabont has done it again. What is it about this man that gives him the ability to make movies that cause me to weep in the middle of a crowded theater? Embarassing as it is, I wish he could find time in his schedule to do it more often that once every five years.
This movie is beautifully photographed, improving on even Shawshank's look, although unfortunately the narrative strength of the movie is not as strong here (try as he might, Dabbs Greer is no Morgan Freeman)--and there wasn't any narration during the main story, something that really established the rhythm in The Shawshank Redemption. Still, the script is tight and the story is told more efficiently and effectively than in King's novel. The slow pacing in this movie that so many critics complain about is essential to the story--this movie is about waiting for death, and waiting for a conclusion in so many ways.
The performances were all flawless, with no exceptions. The one thing that would have improved the movie would have been to let Tom Hanks play himself as the old Paul Edgecombe. A fine and wonderful tale. This is worth walking a mile to see.