He also extracted wonderfully modulated performances from Mr. Hanks and Mr. Duncan, who labors mightily to save his character from turning into a shallow stereotype. As inmates facing death, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene and Sam Rockwell do fine work. Mr. Darabont zooms in on each character in turn, literally framing extended close-ups to underline his focus on each person s story. The effect is a stately pace that stretches the movie s running time to a full three hours. The story also reflects Mr. King s signature style one that strays too easily from simple to simplistic.
Good guys are heroes, and the bad guys are monsters.
He may present his heroes with excruciating moral dilemmas, but can t resist letting them off the hook in the end. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.