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. (12/02/2011)

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. (19/06/2006)

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. (04/06/2014)

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; ) (24/04/2011)

Frank Darabont is a common emotional blackmailer. To his credit, though, he certainly knows how to make the viewer use their handkerchiefs. I have to admit that during some scenes even a cynic like me blinked with a little more frequency than usual and that alone deserves recognition. Admittedly, here he mostly attacked my fixation on little rodents, and with this and more he succeeded in keeping me from being able to tear my eyes from the screen for the entire 188 minutes. However, the film does have a few, though perhaps not so pronounced, weaknesses. First of all, one can't help but compare it to The Shawshank Redemption (also by Darabont), compared to which it stands out for the lack of an absolutely clear separation between the black and white sides. The young guard, Percy, has absolutely no positive side and is simply a rotten swine from start to finish until it starts to feel unrealistic. On the other hand, the characters of Tom Hanks, his friends, or John Coffey (like coffee, only spelled differently) are paper-positive heroes from start to finish, good to watch and root for, but they’re missing a little dimension. But whatever, screw it. What movie holds its viewer's complete attention and rushes by like water with a running time longer than three hours? Definitely a timeless work. (25/06/2006)