Coffey has been sentenced to death for the murder of two girls, though the audience, from the very beginning, suspects correctly that he is innocent of the crimes. A mouse, christened Mr. Jingles by an inmate, in particular, provides several comic moments. These moments are necessary, for the movie runs well over three hours. This is perhaps The Green Mile 's weak spot. While a lengthy running time is certainly justifiable in many films, I couldn't help but feel that The Green Mile could easily have been cut by about 20 or so minutes.
Several scenes seem to take too much time to develop.
The acting in The Green Mile is superb, and I wouldn't be surprised if an Academy Award nomination or two are in the works for the cast. Tom Hanks is good as the lead, but he's supported by quite an ensemble which includes veterans like Graham Greene, James Cromwell, and Michael Jeter. Michael Duncan seems to steal the show, however, with his massive presence as John Coffey, a presence which seems to hang over all the scenes that he isn't in as well as the ones that he is in. The Green Mile was released during the Christmas season.