Were you had?

Rating: 5/10 (29 December 1999)

How "The Green Mile" can possibly be ranked in the IMDB's Top 30 as of this writing completely escapes me. It's a commendable film for the most part, but lacks the immediacy and intricacy of "Shawshank Redemption" (which is nonetheless ALSO hilariously overpraised by IMDB voters) and plods along a little too deliberately. It also sells itself out to schmaltz in the final third. The acting, particularly that of the villains, saves the film; and to be fair the level of sloppy sentiment isn't as pronounced as that of the original book's. In a landmark year of cinematic breakthroughs, though, "The Green Mile" was a step backward, the same way "Titanic" was.