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.
Director Frank Darabont’s big-screen directorial debut was none other than the adaptation of Stephen King’s novella, ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.’ Its big-screen counterpart was simply called “The Shawshank Redemption.” Five years later, Darabont adapted the Stephen King serial novel, ‘The Green Mile’ as his second big-screen outing and while many claim “The Shawshank Redemption” to be the far superior of the two, I always preferred “The Green Mile.” It was emotionally more resonant for me and watching the interactions between the prison guards and their death row inmates, was absorbing and captivating.
Darabont amassed a bevy of Hollywood A-listers including Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Doug Hutchison, Barry Pepper, and Sam Rockwell, and never has an ensemble cast given so many Oscar-worthy performances. Even some of the smaller roles, played by Michael Jeter, Jeffrey DeMunn, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton, William Sadler, and Gary Sinise, elevated the film to next-level status, if that is even possible. Every actor gave undeniable commitment to their respective roles, making “The Green Mile” one of the very best Stephen King adaptations, and one of the best movies ever made.
The story takes place in 1935 in Louisiana and focuses on Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), the supervising officer at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Along with his colleagues, Brutus (David Morse), Percy (Doug Hutchison), Dean (Barry Pepper), and Harry (Jeffrey DeMunn), they work on death row and keep the inmates guarded and disciplined, right up to the point at which their life is taken in the electric chair. Edgecomb is in charge of E Block, where the condemned prisoners are said to walk their last mile to the execution chamber but E Block’s nickname, the Green Mile, is derived from the floor’s faded green linoleum. When a hulking 6′ 5″ but unassuming black man named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) arrives on their doorstep, Edgecomb and his colleagues are very wary of him, especially when they discover that he has been found guilty of raping and killing two young white girls.
As Paul gradually begins to let his guard down around John, familiarizing himself with his particular case, he refuses to believe that he is responsible for the despicable acts he has been accused of, especially after he miraculously heals him of a severe bladder infection, and brings back to life the pet mouse of one of the death row inmates. Paul believes he possesses a supernatural ability to heal others, a gift that could only have come from the hand of God himself but with John’s execution date fast approaching, he tries everything in his power to help him, all the while realizing that even if he could somehow tell John’s story, nobody would believe him and he would probably wind up in a mental hospital. Now Paul must come to terms with the fact that an innocent man is about to be executed for a crime he didn’t commit, something that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
While I understand the chemistry between Morgan Freeman’s Ellis and Tim Robbins’ Andy in “The Shawshank Redemption,” I found their relationship to be very confined, whereas the camaraderie in “The Green Mile” was more comprehensive. It isn’t just between Paul and John, although they are the two central protagonists, it extends outward from them to the other men who work E Block, the inmates, the prison warden, and all of their families. While many criticized the film’s 189-minute runtime, I actually wanted to see more. I wanted to see how the guards lived their lives not just on the Green Mile, but outside of it too, at home with family, with friends, by themselves. Darabont created his most memorable film with “The Green Mile” and watching it again for the first time in years, reminded me of just how talented he really is, and with talk recently of him retiring from directing, I would suggest he sit down and re-watch “The Green Mile” again, as objectively as he possibly can, maybe then he’ll be made aware of the brilliance he has achieved throughout his career.
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