even the mouse acts a blinder.

Rating: Null/10 (8 July 2000)

I agree with some of the other comments made about Stephen Kings adaptations, some work and some definately don't. This is one of those that fortunatley does, and it even makes up for some of the one's that don't. Don't mistake this for just another prison flick, or expect a rip off of the Shawshank Redemption, because this is neither. It follows the lives of prisoners and guards on a prisons death row, Hanks (Paul Edgecombe) is the head guard who tries to show a little compassion to the prisoners facing the inevitable, most of his fellow guards are of the same mind except one, who uses his position as nephew of the governor's wife to keep him in a job that enables him to induldge his bullying nature. Michael Clarke Duncan is John Coffey, who, with shades of Forrest Gump, introduces himself as John Coffey, "like the drink only spelled different" is a prisoner on death row for killing two girls, as the film progresses the guards come to realise they are about to send an innocent man to the chair. It has some nice moments in it, particularly with Mr Jingles, a mouse who patrols the 'Green Mile' floor and eventually makes friends with the guards and prisoners, and I have to say I haven't seen an acting performance like this from a mouse since Tom and Jerry. All the cast play their parts well, Tom Hanks and Michael Clark Duncan especially. King's story gives the film enough of a twist to make it interesting and different, but it's not so over the top with the effects and to make it nonsensical. The film wasn't quite what I expected, and was pleasantly better than I though it was going to be. It maybe a 3 hour epic but I've seen shorter films that have seemed twice as long, and I could quite happily sit through the film without getting antsy. On a par with 'Shawshank' so if you liked that chances are you'll like this as well.