3 Hours of Brilliance

Rating: 8/10 (20 September 2012)

In honor of Michael Clarke Duncan, may his soul rest in peace. The Green Mile is based off the novel by the one and only Stephen King so I knew the movie was going to be interesting to say the least. It is about a death row guard from 1935 who gets his life changed forever when he meets John Coffey. Duncan plays a massive, black, man on death row. He is sentenced to death because he savagely murdered two young girls. Coffey has explained powers which adds twists and turns to this story. This movie had very unexpected parts and by the end I was satisfied and definitely surprised.
John Coffey's first lines are him asking if they leave the lights on at night because he is scared of the dark sometimes. The look on Paul's face made the entire scene. Here stands a large, black, man who could lift a truck asking to leave the lights on. Its little comic moments like that which makes this movie different and unexpected. There were little bits of comedy in one of the most depressing places on the planet. Mr. Jingles is very symbolic. The little mouse runs around, becomes a thorn in Percy's side, and befriends Del and Paul. He is more than a mouse and more of an actual character. Tom Hanks delivers another fantastic performance as the star in this film. He has a bladder disease or some disease which makes it hard to use the bathroom. I thought that would have been very important to the story but it was and was not at the same time. It was a problem that got solved quickly, possibly halfway into the movie. Paul is his name and he has to deal with many problems such as, inmates, Percy the spoiled guard, Mr. Jingles the rat, and sometimes John Coffey and what he believes is right. John Coffey has this special power that is never really explained. That really bugged me but how could one have explained it. Coffey claims he can see life and see who's a good man and a bad man. I don't even think he understands and it adds uniqueness to his character. He touches Paul right in the crotch and cures him of his bladder disease. That was fine but in the beginning it seemed like it was going to be a big problem throughout the movie and it was gone and forgotten in a matter of minutes. Coffey can resurrect the dead, extend life, control others, and cure illness. When Del got the electric chair he felt the electricity going through his body and he felt the same pain. It was strange but fascinating. Every movie has a villain; I'm talking about Percy of course. The rich, spoiled, spoon-fed brat who likes to bully prisoners around just because he can. He is small and annoying but he is crafty. He is the real rat, not Mr. Jingles. He is the nephew of the Governor and he can get away with anything he wants. I hated him and hope he gets put on the chair. Del made Percy wet his pants in fear and Percy was embarrassed. Percy got back at him by stepping on Mr. Jingles and killing him. Luckily Coffey was able to revive Mr. Jingles and save his life. Percy had the final word when he did not wet the sponge when Del was sentenced to death. The sponge needs to be wet so it acts as a conductor so the electricity goes to the brain. Instead he fries, and screams, and gets lit on fire. It was gruesome and almost hard to watch. His shrieks and screams and the reaction of the people in the execution room were terrible. He smelled and was burning, smoke was everywhere and they tried to escape. The electricity could not be stopped because he was still alive, so he suffered. No man deserves that and he suffered because of the little rat Percy. Luckily, that little slime ball got his in the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Throughout the movie Coffey uses his power but he was still sentenced to death. In a way he wanted to die, he didn't want to live with his gift anymore. He righted some wrongs and it was hard for him to be executed. The guards cared about him and did not want to see him die. Paul shook his hand before he gave the order. A mask is usually put over the face of the prisoner but Coffey wanted it to remain uncovered because he is afraid of the dark. That was so powerful, out of respect his last wished are granted and it was not fair but it was what needed to happen. The most significant part of his death was the reaction of the guards. In every other execution the camera was focused on the prisoner. When Coffey died the camera was not on him at all, it was on the guards who he impacted. A few were in tears and the biggest, toughest guard was fighting back tears. It was powerful, meaningful, symbolic, and important. Before he died he passes something to Paul and we go back to Paul as an old man. His wife he is with doesn't really believe his story but Paul shows her a little box, a box with Mr. Jingles inside of it. He lived all those years. John passed long life to both Mr. Jingles and Paul. The movie closes with Paul saying life is one long green mile. Overall, The Green Mile was three full hours of great cinema. I would recommend this movie to anybody who loves Stephen King and Tom Hanks. You have to invest your time into it and pay attention. I would see it again, I bought it, not on Blu Ray but it really doesn't matter. The Green Mile gets the WillyT seal of approval.