Movie Review: The Green Mile (1999)
A beautiful movie that stays with you long after the curtains are raised!
Director: Frank Durabont
Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Patricia Clarkson and Harry Dean Stanton.
Here is the basic synopsis from IMDB for the movie:
The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.
Right from the beginning, you can sense that the arrested convict is a polite, humble and a caring person. This makes the viewers to question themselves if the convict really did commit the crime.
Tom Hanks stars as one of the guards (Paul Edgecomb) in the movie and gives yet another fantastic performance. In the movie, Paul befriends the convict (John Coffee) and senses something different in him. As the movie proceeds, the guards realize that John Coffee possesses mysterious powers that can heal a person and take away their sickness (almost like a miracle from God)
Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey gives a fantastic performance that is Oscar worthy. Note the connection of the name John Coffee (JC) with Jesus Christ. The character of John Coffee connects with the audience and at times you really do want him to be happy and not imprisoned.
People might expect the movie to be scary since Stephen King is mostly a horror book writer. Well, let me assure you that this movie is not scary but is in fact a beautiful drama that explores the dilemma of the prison guards, and the innocent heart of the convict (John Coffee), who just wants to be a beacon of hope and help others.
Towards the end of the movie, the words below by John Coffee had me in tears.
You tell God, the Father, it was a kindness you done. I know you hurtin’ and worryin’, I can feel it on you, but you oughta quit on it now. Because I want it over and done. I do. I’m tired, boss. Tired of bein’ on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with or tell me where we’s coming from or going to, or why. Mostly I’m tired of people being ugly to each other. I’m tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world every day. There’s too much of it. It’s like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand? — John Coffee
The climax of the movie is haunting and yet beautifully shot. The last 20 minutes of the movie is a real tearjerker that makes the audience deeply connect with John Coffee and Paul Edgecomb. Even I could not hold back my tears. Some scenes will stay with you long after the movie has ended.
The only flaw with the movie is that it is very slow paced and almost 3 hours long. It does take a long time for the story to build but for fans of character driven movies, this should not be an issue. In my opinion the movie could have benefited from better editing as there are some scenes which could have just been removed from the movie.
My final verdict is that everyone should watch this beautiful movie with fantastic performances across the board. We need more stories like this in this harsh modern world.
Final verdict: 8.5/10
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