it is simply amazing
how " the green mile " developed in its three hour running time .
based on the stephen king series of the same title , the film starts out painfully slow , with underdeveloped characters and idiotic dialogue .
however , as the plot begins to progress , the film turns into pure perfection with outstanding performances and wonderful direction .
frank darabont , who masterfully followed a prisoner 's story in " the shawshank redemption " , this time follows the perspective of a prison guard , paul edgecomb ( tom hanks ) .
through edgecomb 's experiences on a cell block known as the green mile where death row prisoners wait and repent , the audience sees good and evil on both sides of the law .
from an evil prison guard to an evil prisoner , " the green mile " is successful in creating sympathy for kind - hearted hard working guards and hard thinking prisoners .
the plot follows edgecomb and four other guards as they meet a variety of prisoners and after having strong relationships with each eventually are forced to execute them .
the performances by veterans and new comers to back up these original characters are superb .
the ensemble acting in the film is perfect .
hanks , david morse and barry pepper as guards are wonderful and are fitting for their roles
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they are the characters we most relate to because of their calm less extreme roles .
they are given the positions to make rational decisions at difficult times and they are the ones who fulfill the demands of the audience .
the more unique characters perfectly create friction on the green mile and make the story interesting and exciting .
some particularly note worthy roles of the unique characters include doug hutchinson , sam rockwell , and michael duncan .
hutchinson , playing percy wetmore , a cowardly guard who hides his true feelings by tormenting others gives the greatest performance of the movie .
every time he appears on the screen , the attitude of others is very uncomfortable and the creepy expressions he is able to create are effectively terrifying .
it would come as no surprise if hutchinson was nominated for an academy award as best supporting actor , not only because he did a wonderful job as wetmore , but also because he stole every scene he was in away from veteran oscar winner
tom hanks .
rockwell , an independent film veteran , plays his role as wild bill wharton to perfection .
as a prisoner who taunts and harasses the guards at all hours , he really gets under your skin and irritates you for having to watch him torture others .
this irritation he creates makes his performance so believable .
the last noteworthy performance belongs to duncan , as the enormous convicted killer john coffey who happens to hold the power of curing the ill .
duncan does a wonderful job playing a frightened child - like behemoth , very similar to lennie small in of mice and men .
his desire for love and the extinction of hate evokes the most compassion because it is very obvious that he is suffering for no just cause .
his pain creates pain for the viewer .
however , it takes over an hour for duncan to be introduced completely in the film .
the film opens with a ridiculous present day setting which contains a scene that jabs at " the jerry springer show .
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the scene , containing one old man complaining about how all guests on the show are inbred and rednecks .
not only is this observation entirely pointless and out of place , but it is also hackneyed beyond all belief .
as the film flashes back to 1935 , graham greene is quickly executed without any introduction .
his death seems very rushed and without any knowledge of who he is , the scene is neither sad nor convincing .
greene is not even given a final word , like some of the other characters , and we do n't even see him walk the infamous green mile .
however , as the film begins to specifically introduce more characters , such as coffey and eduard delacroix ( michael jeter ) as well as the five prison guards , the film becomes more interesting .
the speed in " the green mile " is perfect .
if time was a matter of concern and the film was edited to the two hour mark , it would have been unsatisfactory because we would not be able to know the characters as they are or as they treat others .
the three hour running is perfect for plot development
and by the end of the film , a great amount of love or hate is attached to each character .
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the green mile " is so good following the rough beginning , that when the pivotal moment at the very end finally comes , it is almost impossible not to feel some sort of sadness for every person in this scene .
fighting back tears was a difficult task that i barely succeeded in doing . if you survive the first third of " the green mile " sit back and enjoy the remainder for some priceless entertainment .
Output: P