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)

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)

Michael Mann has "Time is luck," Tom Hanks has "Earn it." Within the span of two years, Hanks starred in two similarly phenomenal films where the setting plays second fiddle, because the main role was a well-lived life. However, while in Saving Private Ryan he plays the rescuer, in The Green Mile he is the one being rescued. Frank Darabont has a masterful ability to work with emotions, doing so in a simple and understandable way (with music, editing and directing actors), yet it is not simplistic or overly sentimental with a carpet bombing approach towards the viewers. The film is full of nuances and grand gestures, from which everyone can take what they personally prefer. (06/04/2014)

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)

Paul Edgecomb meets John Coffey and I have no idea that the most painful film I have ever seen awaits me. Unbelievable power throughout the entire runtime and a climax that I watched in awe, unable to catch my breath. There are not many films that have touched me more deeply, and yet I'm not sure if I could emotionally handle a second viewing. Every actor's performance is extraordinary, and another brilliant film by Frank Darabont that surpasses even the emotionally escalating source material by King. (05/27/2006)