Unique, Tangible Fantasy That's Both Warm-Hearted and Terrifying

Rating: 8/10 (29 September 2014)

An abundantly loyal Stephen King adaptation (something of a rarity) that manages to balance a ton of heart and an equal amount of weirdness without getting the two hopelessly tangled along the way. It can be blunt and telegraphed at times, it's seriously overlong at just past three hours, and the dialog has moments of real weakness, but it's able to counter all that with a serious knack for tension, a truckload of bittersweet feelings and some fantastic central performances. Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan are the most visible, and work an easy connection with the cameras in two deeply sympathetic roles, but Sam Rockwell also hands in a terrific part as a give-no-damns lunatic whose wild, vicious, unhinged attitude works in strong contrast to his cellmates' general resignation. Tough to watch in places, especially as the mile's population begins to dwindle, but generally arresting and intensely emotional - there isn't anything else quite like it.