Oscar to walk The Green Mile

Rating: 10/10 (8 December 1999)

I was fortunate enough to go see a screening of The Green Mile starring Tom Hanks last night. Having read the book(s), I was expecting a bit of a let down in the movie. For the first time in my life, however, I saw a movie that made me wish that I had not read the book before viewing. Not that the book(s) was not great, but the movie and its performances were phenomenal. There are a great number of highly anticipated films coming out between now and Christmas, but I can confidently say that this movie will no doubt get a nomination for Best Picture. Knowing that the award is generally pre-disposed to the whims of Academy members, I will not say it will win Best Picture, though it probably should. Tom Hanks will be up against some very stiff competition for Best Actor ( Kevin Spacey, Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, etc.), but he should be nominated for Best Actor again. He probably won't win because he has two Best Actor awards already. That said, if Michael Duncan (the big black guy who played Bear in Armageddon) doesn't win Best Supporting Actor then I may never go see another movie. He is incredible. There are also great performances from David Morse, James Cromwell, Sam Rockwell, and Barry Pepper (Jackson from Saving Private Ryan). The Movie will also probably win Best Adapted Screenplay because it takes over 600 pages of highly detailed written material and doesn't miss anything important. I highly recommend this movie. Its 3 hrs and 5 minutes long, but its worth every minute. As always with Stephen King type adaptations, pay attention to everything, because everything matters. I hate to say that movies are in my personal Top 10 without seeing them 5 to 50 times, but The Green Mile certainly appears to be headed toward this prestigious title, and Hanks has solidified his position as the best actor of our generation.