It Works

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 1999)

I'm as big a fan of "The Shawshank Redemption" as you'll find. So, as I did with "Shawshank", I saw this on opening day. I have to admit I was a little worried about the 3 hour plus running time. But let me say this was never boring, and never really felt too long (except for a few scenes). Honestly, it sailed much more than the other 3 hour film I saw today, "Magnolia."
The reason for the length is the dedication to the book. Almost nothing has been left out. The only major changes were made to the present day material, which bookends the film here. It takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes to tell this story. I'd say it could have been trimmed by maybe 10 minutes. Some members of the audience were restless, but they appeared to me to be guys better off watching "Armageddon", so the hell with them.
On the plus side:the cast. It's one of the year's best. A bunch of great character actors, old and young. And Hanks does give one of his best performances. The Duncan guy playing John Coffey is dead-on:it's as if the book was written with him in mind. The production design is top notch.
On the minus side:I would have rather seen Roger Deakins back. The photography is good, just not as crisp as "Shawshank." Thomas Newman's score is good, but a little "Shawshank" redux. The closing segment underlines what we already know, or feel. The old Paul Edgecomb didn't have to spell everything out.
One thing:the LA Times critic here (the same guy who dissed "Titantic") threw a hissy fit over Del's execution scene. The way he described it, you would think it was a Fangoria Splatterfest. I found the scene tastefully done (in the context of what happens in the book) and honest-to-gosh restrained. But that's my two cents.