A heart warming tale about death row!

Rating: Null/10 (26 March 2000)

Frank Durabont has already passed the Stephen King test, being one of the few directors to successfully adapt one of the pop-authors books into a good film with The Shawshank Redemption. Durabont does it again with The Green Mile.
Tom Hanks plays Paul Edgecomb, a prison guard circa 1930's, with a heart of gold who runs the area of the prison that is death row, and affectionately called 'the green mile'. Paul and his counterparts believe that a little kindness goes a long way in maintaining their little corner of the world, as they believe their kindness is all that these inmates have left.

John Coffeey, a friendly giant played by Michael Clarke Duncan, is the latest visitor to their cell block, who has been convicted of a murder that we know right away he did not commit. We know this because his only request is that they leave the lights on for him at night as he is afraid of the dark.
One of the big complaints about this film is its running time (almost 3 hours) but I have to say that I wasn't bothered by that one bit. In fact, I was sorry to see it end.
Over the course of three hours we see several story lines evolve, mostly surrounding Hanks character and the supernatural powers that Duncan's character possesses. We get a first hand look at capital punishment and the ordeal of facing the electric chair. While this is a film that rallies against capital punishment, the film does not get mired in its message.

Hanks does some fine acting in this role, holding back the temptation to let loose his trademark humor, maintaining a stoicism that would befit a prison guard in this situation.
Duncan is even more interesting to watch. His blubbering village idiot provides the true heart and the magic (literally) of this moving film.

The Green Mile contains some horrific scenes, including a botched execution and a nasty end to a lovable rodent, but even these incidents are tamed down by the warmth that is conveyed by its main characters. Despite the violence, I would still recommend this film for the whole family.