Confused about its message

Rating: 6/10 (25 December 1999)

So was this movie about a Christ-like figure who is killed because his actions are misunderstood? Or is it about the guilt one man feels because he allowed someone innocent to be executed? Or was it about what happens in to people who do not speak up with the truth?
This confusion is at the center of "The Green Mile," a film that is wonderful in some place, but baffling in others. I loved the prison guard characters, especially the empathy and "humanness" at each of their cores. They establish relationships with the death row inmates, and seem torn apart when one finally has to die. I also thought the movie as a whole moved quite quickly through its 3 hour plus length.
However, I am still quite confused after seeing it. Was the prisoner with the healing powers supposed to symbolize Jesus Christ? It seems this was the road the filmmakers were taking in the beginning, but then the character did certain things Jesus would never have done. And what about the ending? This movie seemed to be moving toward a more upbeat, uplifting ending. As a result, I couldn't help but feeling that the whole "curse" ending was tacked on and really did not have anything to do with the rest of the film. I think this opitimizes the confusion it seems the filmmakers had about what this movie was supposed to say and stand for.
"The Green Mile" is not a bad film, but it should not gain that many Oscar nods. I think the Golden Globes made the right call, it was a good film, but not one of the best of the year. With a great year of films, including "American Beauty," "The Insider," and "The Man on the Moon," "The Green Mile" does not cut it as one of the best of the year.