The Green Mile

I consider The Green Mile one of the most beautiful dramas I've ever seen. It is guaranteed to make me cry and thrill me every time. The prison theme is really thin ice, it's just that Frank Darabont knows it like nobody else and prefers quality over quantity. The cast is also impeccable! A wonderful film that everyone must see. (02/12/2011)

Stephen King is a genius. Frank Darabont is a genius. And whenever these two get together a perfect work of art comes to life that remains indelibly in the souls of those who see it. Similarly to The Shawshank Redemption, the story takes place in prison, more precisely in The Green Mile where those who were sentenced to death await execution. At the beginning of the story we meet old Paul Edgecombe who remembers the days of his youth and one of the prisoners. A person who had a wonderful gift. John Coffey (like coffee but spelled differently). And we become witnesses to one of the most touching story of all times. (06/19/2006)

The Green Mile made an even stronger impression on me (forgive the conventional comparison) than Shawshank when I first watched it. Gradually, though, the roles have reversed significantly, and it emerges that the former title represents filmmaking conducted on a much simpler narrative basis, which at times applies pure emotional cynicism far more forcefully and ostentatiously than the more subtly constructed and poetic Shawshank. Yet words are inadequate to describe how much I admire and love this film, its "absorbing" narrative concept, the performances, its dramatic timing and its ideas. Darabont again leads the attention in a minimalist way, enclosing his actors for three hours in a fictional world where, despite the strict rules and the depressing aura of inevitable death, he defines a precise space for conflict, hatred and fear, but also hope, friendship and humour, and by constantly changing moods depending on the presence of a particular character and gradually tightening the screws on the reveal of the main mystery, the director establishes one of the most complex emotional experiences in the history of cinema. If you want to experience films and draw inspiration from them, The Green Mile will suck you in, move you to tears and show you that even in the least joyful places, where the minutes drag on and life seemingly has no meaning, it pays to be a good person. Miracles really do happen, not only John Coffey but Frank Darabont in particular is proof of that; ) (04/24/2011)

Darabont stepped into the same river for the second time. After The Shawshank Redemption he made another film with a prison setting, and again based on a Stephen King novel. And again great. Not, great, brilliant! When I walked out of the cinema, I was like drunk. At home, I was jumping up and down with delight that I had seen the best film of my life. Now, in hindsight, my emotions have cooled, but I definitely rank The Green Mile among the most remarkable films of recent years. (04/13/2003)

Book/movie, I can confirm today, it doesn't matter. The story of The Green Mile belongs on the pedestal of the best ever written. What adds up to an extra marathon of over 3 hours is an immensely strong line-up of great supporting characters, among whom even star power Tom Hanks remains slightly overshadowed. Another bonus is the brilliant musical score by Thomas Newman and the slightly altered tone compared to King’s novel, which pushes the envelope a bit more in some moments and turns it almost into a fairytale as a result. Very dark and adult, but still universal enough to be fully experienced by a nine-year-old boy whose parents let him watch it past midnight for the first time in his life. (03/06/2019)