Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Frank Darabont
Written by: Frank Darabont (novel by Stephen King)
Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Doug Hutchison
Produced by: Frank Darabont, David Valdes

The Nutshell

A prison guard's life is changed by a Death Row inmate who seems to have the power of healing.

The Review

    Films are much longer than they used to be. Decades ago, films seldom hit the two hour mark, yet today epic dramas often run closer to three. It is the sign of a true classic when those three hours can magically slip by unnoticed, a feat that few films can boast; Saving Private Ryan, Dances With Wolves and Titanic come to mind. The Green Mile is the latest drama to stretch our time budgets, but unfortunately lacks that needed magic. A film that is at times compelling, disturbing and touching, it inches forward one sluggish scene at a time, so slow that audience members could easily take two or three bathroom breaks and not really miss anything. This is a film that demands a judicious editor, but instead is over-blown with attempts at mood and atmosphere.

    Perhaps the cause is obvious; director Frank Darabont, who also adapted the Stephen King serial novel, won considerable (and well-earned) praise for his previous film The Shawshank Redemption. Redemption was an unexpected success and won several Academy Award nominations. A parallel can be made between Darabont and Kevin Costner, who won multiple Oscars for Dances With Wolves. Costner followed his epic with The Postman, another three hour epic that suffered at the box office. The reason? The film was too long and grandiose, lacking the subtle power of Wolves. The same can be said of Frank Darabont and his two King adaptations. Where Shawshank was subtle Green Mile is obvious; Where Shawshank's characters were varying shades of grey, Mile's are all either black or white. The Green Mile is like The Shawshank Redemption done Patch Adams-style, all gooey and obvious.

    The Green Mile is representative of the path Stephen King's evolving writing career has taken him. Over the last six or seven years, King has frequently pulled away from his horrific beginnings of telekinesis, vampires and killer cars, and ventured into more domestic horrors like abusive husbands and lost children. The Green Mile is more subdued than most King works, with only cruel prison guards and nursing home attendants as antagonists, and As his second dramatic prison story, it was a natural pick for Frank Darabont to make into a film.

    The story is told by Paul Edgecombe, an old man reminiscing about his past to his friend Elaine. He tells the story of what happened in 1937, when as a Death Row guard, he came to meet John Coffey, a gigantic heavily muscled black man who killed two young white girls. Coffey provides a major career boost for actor Michael Clarke Duncan, whose previous screen credits are mostly as bouncers. Coffey is a gentle giant, asking to have the light left on at night, and frequently crying for no reason. As Coffey's wait for execution winds down, several other inmates come and go, such as Arlen Bitterbuck (Graham Greene in an almost silent role), Eduard Delacroix, a cajun, played by Michael Jeter, who befriends a cute mouse he names Mr. Jangles, and "Wild Bill" Wharton, played by an excitable Sam Rockwell. The tale would be dull and uneventful if not for oily guard Percy Wetmore (Hutchison), a nephew of the Governor who uses his influence to get away with all kinds of things. Paul (Hanks), his second in command "Brutal" (David Morse, who seems to have grown a foot for the role), and the other guards all hate Percy and wish him gone, but are powerless against his family connections, a point made clear by Warden Moores (James Cromwell) after one incident. Coffey displays a magical healing power, which affects the lives of all around him, and serves as the focal point of the rambling story.

    Reduced to a two hour film, The Green Mile could be a poignant study of life on Death Row in the 30's, not to mention a story of healing and miracles. However, Darabont has trouble keeping his story focussed. After introducing us to John Coffey, he practically disappears for a good 45 minutes, as the tale moves onto the other inmates. This is probably due to the format of the novel. King revived the serial novel concept with Green Mile, where the story was released in six short segments. Each story portion needed an interesting mini-ending, and thus several of the novelettes concentrated on one inmate's tale. Adapting this story without making many changes easily explains the film's unevenness. After losing touch with Coffey, the film meanders through various sub-plots, like the Warden's wife's illness, Paul's persistent urinary tract infection, Percy's obvious contempt for anyone other than himself, and the procedure followed for an execution. After wallowing for a good hour, The Green Mile finally pulls itself together and focusses on Coffey. He is the focal point of all of the important story elements, and deserves more screen time.

    It is always a shame to see a good cast wasted on poorly written material, but that is what happens here. Tom Hanks needs no more praise, but other cast members, like David Morse and James Cromwell put in some of their finest work in years, while newcomers Michael Clarke Duncan and Doug Hutchison show a solid grasp of their characters. Hutchison in particular is wonderfully slimy as Percy, though his character is two-dimensional. Other make smaller appearances, like the always dependable Bonnie Hunt as Paul's wife Jan, and Gary Sinise in a cameo as Coffey's lawyer. Opening so late in the year, it will not surprise me if The Green Mile manages to get a couple of Oscar nominations, though only Doug Hutchison would be truly deserving.

    There are undeniably good qualities to this film. The set is particularly impressive, with the electric chair ("Old Sparky") chamber, the prison itself, and the recreation of the late 30's a success. The dialogue, while hokey, contains some nice touches, as when one character spies a car riding so low that the cab is riding the axle and asks "Jeez, did he pop a spring?" I have no doubt that back then cars had springs to pop, and it shows a good grasp of the time period. On the other hand, each prison guard gets his chance at some classic Hollywood dialogue, the kinds of things that no one ever says in real life. And every character is two-dimensional; by the end, the bad guys are still bad and the good guys are still good, honest, God-fearing men. Several mini-crises of the soul don't make realistic characters.

    With a sappy ending that could make you nauseated (unless you love sappy, violin-playing, camera-panning-away endings), The Green Mile is a major step down for Frank Darabont. While it is asking too much to expect him to have equalled his previous masterpiece, it is not a crime to have hoped for a similar level of intelligence in the writing. I'm sure this film will satisfy the same people who adored Patch Adams and Stepmom last Christmas, and if you are one of them, ignore all of my criticisms except for the warnings about the film's length and go see this film. You will probably love it. However, if films like Patch Adams make you queasy, steer clear of the Green Mile, and go see Toy Story 2 instead. It is fun, it will make you cry, and everyone will love it.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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