Why him? Why there?

Rating: 8/10 (3 March 2001)

Stephen King's short story turned out well in the film adaptation of the Green Mile, an emotional journey that poses many questions to the viewer... It's a rewarding three hours, complete with strong performances by Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan as the central characters.
Duncan is an immense convict with the power to empathetically feel the pain and evil in others, and the ability to cure their disease and pain. Why him? Why does a man convicted to die on death row have this power that could seemingly benefit society as a whole? Why would he be "selected" to be the bearer of this gift, or curse, depending on how you look at it? What do others do when confronted with such a miracle?
It's a movie that questions the characters' faith, their attitudes, their morality, all of which have been tested in a job where they watch the worst of society put to a horrible death. Now they're confronted by someone and something they have no answer for..
This movie is long, but it develops the characters well. We feel a sympathy for John Coffey (Duncan), a hatred for Percy, and the uncertainty of what we would do when confronted with a situation that Paul Edgecomb (Hanks) and the rest of the guards experience on death row. Nothing ever leaves the so-called "Green Mile".
But what about a miracle?