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Tom Hanks plays Paul Edgecomb, one of a handful of guards
running a deep south cell block for prisoners on death row.
One such prisoner is John Coffey, a large and powerful man
who has been convicted of raping and murdering two young girls.
He was even caught crying over the two bodies, repeating,
"I tried to take it back but I couldn't!" But Coffey doesn't
seem like much of a threat at all, and a fellow prison guard
proves more of a problem to Paul. When Coffey mysteriously
cures Paul of a severe bladder infection by drawing out the
corruption, the guards are amazed to learn the prisoner possesses
healing powers. Surely God would not allow a miracle to be
carried by such an evil creature. As the days count down to
death by electric chair, Paul begins to doubt this simple
man in his midst is capable of what he stands accused...
In my opinion, the stories of Stephen King work much better
on film than they do on the printed page (hold back on the
lynch mob!), and even many of those fail to impress. Two success
stories are The Shawshank Redemption and The Green
Mile. Not only are these both prison dramas, but they
are directed by the same man, Frank Darabont. Darabont took
a big chance taking on a second King adaptation and a second
prison setting, but King had reportedly contacted him after
being impressed with the man's directorial debut, which had
been nominated for seven Academy Awards.
It
was a good decision, because Darabont knows how to flesh-out
strong characters for the big screen. We laugh with them,
we cry with them, and we are persuaded to sympathise with
every hiccup they experience. Tom Hanks is, of course, a talented
and versatile actor, and all performances in The Green
Mile are strong. However, it is Michael Clarke Duncan's
excellent portrayal of John Coffey who really steals the show.
Duncan was a novice in 1999 when Darabont took a chance on
casting him, but he was fully justified. No wonder the man
was nominated for an Academy Award.
The
three-hour story is split over the two discs in this set.
To most people this will, on the surface, seem like an incredibly
long film - even by today's standards. Let me tell you, you
will care so much about what is transpiring on-screen that
those 180 minutes will go by in a flash. It is even more suited
to the medium of DVD, because it means you can take a toilet
break or make a cup of tea without missing any of this magical
tale... and you wouldn't want to miss a moment.
Stephen
King is best known for horror; that goes without saying. The
Green Mile is one of a few books from his back catalogue
which is quite different. This is not in any sense a horror
story; in fact, I wouldn't even call it a fantasy - although
it does dip a big toe into that territory. No, to my mind
this is a character-driven "people story", and a damn fine
one at that.
Special
features include: a commentary by Frank Darabont; Deleted
Scenes with optional commentary; Michael Clarke Duncan's
Screen Test; Walking The Mile: The Making of The Green
Mile; and Miracles and Mystery (Creating The Green
Mile), which comprises the following featurettes: Stephen
King - Storyteller; The Art of Adaptation; Acting on the Mile;
Designing The Mile; The Magic of The Mile; and The
Tail of Mr Jingles (the talented mouse). To avid Stephen
King fans this lovingly assembled 2-disc set will undoubtedly
be seen as the perfect release.
Ty
Power
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