The Green Mile

Rating: 7/10 (7 September 2005)

Based on the book by Stephen King, and from director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, also a King novel), this is another good prison drama with a good cast. The film begins with Old Paul Edgecomb (Dabbs Greer) being reminded of his past by Fred Astaire's Top Hat on TV, and then he starts telling his story. In the 1930's, Paul (Tom Hanks) was a slightly cynical prison guard on Death Row, leading men down "The Green Mile", along with guards Brutus "Brutal" Howell (David Morse), Dean Stanton (Saving Private Ryan's Barry Pepper), Harry Terwilliger (Jeffrey DeMunn) and the evil Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison). One day the guards meet new prisoner sentenced to death, large, simple-minded John Coffey (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Michael Clarke Duncan). As time goes by the guards start to see that John might not be harmless as people make him out to be, especially after performing the miracles of curing Paul's urinal infection, which was great for his wife Jan (Jumanji's Bonnie Hunt), bringing the pet mouse, Mr. Jingles, of prisoner Eduard Delacroix (Michael Jeter) back to life (after Percy squashed it), and more prominently curing the wife of Warden Hal Moores (Babe's James Cromwell) of her illness. Also, they realise that he is innocent and that (after his death, and Percy made dumb, and a flashback) it was in fact 'Wild Bill' Wharton (Sam Rockwell) that raped and murdered two little girls. So when they ask John what he wants done, let go to escape or face his sentence. He decided that he has had enough of living and seeing the bad sides of life, and he requests a final meal and film (Top Hat obviously). John's emotional death (the electric chair) was number 2 on The 100 Greatest Tearjerkers. Also starring Dances with Wolves' Graham Greene as Arlen Bitterbuck, Patricia Clarkson as Melinda Moores and Harry Dean Stanton as Toot-Toot. A fantastic cast, a vicious and utterly hateful villain (bastard, prick, arsehole are the best words to describe Percy), some good fantasy moments, and just an unmissable film, even for three hours. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Sound and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published. Very good!