Epic Treatment/Slight Story

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 1999)

While I like movies made with craftsmanship, attention to detail and patience, I found that The Green Mile was weighed down with a certain ponderous pretentiousness that didn't suit the rather thin material. An odd conceit, focusing on the bladder infection of a prison guard, and the "Saving Private Ryan" style prologue and epilogue was an amusing nod to movie-goers (and Tom Hanks fans). Not a bad film, but in no way deserving of the kind of reviews it's received. Today I bought Shawshank Redemption (a far superior picture) on DVD.