Brilliant film, one of my favorites

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2008)

Yes, it has been at least seven years since I saw this film, long before I even had access to my own computer, so this review is a bit late (but better late than never!) As stated in the summary, The Green Mile is a brilliant film directed by Frank Darabont, of Shawshank Redemption fame. Set in 1935 Mississippi (namely the Green Mile, a play on the term Last Mile because of the fact that the floor is the colour of "tired old limes") The Green Mile tells the story of head prison guard Paul Edgecombe and his life as "bull goose screw" of the Mile. The movie (which is EXTREMELY accurate to Stephen King's novel except for a few minor details)is narrated by a VERY elderly Paul, who is writing his memoirs of his time on the Mile. From the early days on the mile, to the arrivals of the delightful (despite the terrible crimes he committed) Eduard Delacroix, out of control William "Wild Bill Wharton" and the central character, the mysterious John Coffey, and a tiny mouse named Mr. Jingles, the viewer sees it all, and is actually taken on a trip back in time to the dank cell block which houses these condemned men and the notorious Old Sparkey (no need to explain what that is).
The acting in this film is superb, from Tom Hanks as Edgecombe (though Hanks never disappoints in my personal opinion) to Doug Hutchinson, who plays the arrogant, foolish and very detestable Percy Wetmore. When watching Hutchinson, one can just see meanness oozing from his pores. The piece de resistance, however, is the performance of Michael Clark Duncan, who plays Coffey. Duncan is absolutely brilliant, showing (as one person had previously commented) how a man of such size can be a helpless, lost, almost catatonic figure who can at times light up like an innocent child at certain times in the movie (I won't go any further than that in case there are still a few people who have not yet seen this film).
The directing is also well done, from the shots of scenic Georgia Pines Nursing Home to the dank, chilling cell block where most of the story takes place, Darabont takes you on a journey through time, just as Paul does in the memoirs he is penning. My verdict? One of the best films in a long time, my favorite Stephen King adaptation (the book was also my favorite by King) and definitely worth watching even eight or nine years after it was released. How this movie was snubbed at the Oscars that year I will never fully understand (especially the Best Supporting Actor nod for Michael Clark Duncan). An easy ten.