The Green Mile (1999)

One the best Tom Hanks films out there!

What a great movie! I'm not a huge Tom Hanks fan but have enjoyed some of his films. This one, though, may end up as being my favorite of his. Filled with great scenes of both hope and tragedy, of sorrow and of joy, with just a touch of redemption thrown in.

Based on a book by Stephen King, the Green Mile starts off in modern day times and then uses a "flashback" to tell the story of a group of death row guards during the depression and the strange story of a condemmed prisoner named John Coffy (played magnificiently by Michael Duncan). The story is a mix of drama, humor, and adds the spiritual/mystical as only Stephen King can do. The story also has one of the most creative twists at the end. Very surprising!

But what takes this movie one of the best I've personally watched is the supporting cast. Besides the well known David Morse & Bonnie Hunt, we get James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential, Star Trek - First Contact), Michael Jeter (Open Range), Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves (Widescreen Edition)), Sam Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Widescreen Edition)) & Harry Dean Stanton (way too many great roles to pick just a couple).

I would recommend this to any movie buff looking for originality and creativity. Great actors, great story, great film! July 15, 2008

I'm tired. I'm tired of being alone. But mostly ... I'm tired of people being ugly to each other.

In its simplest form The Green Mile is about an eye for an eye ... but when have you known Stephen King to be simple? Stephen King ... the man who gets paid fifty thousand dollars for writing "boo" on a napkin. Stephen King. In the beginning we meet an elderly gentleman who tells of his time working on "The Green Mile" Death Row for inmates in Louisiana's Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Shortly thereafter, we meet John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) who was sentenced to death for the murder of two young girls. From his introduction (Michael Clarke Duncan) plays the role of the child-like John Coffey filled with boyish impetuosity to perfection.

During this time, Paul Edgecombe (Tom Hanks) is suffering from a urinary tract infection ... and the extraordinary that is John Coffey shows itself. This miracle of God has the mystical ability to heal. At the same time we meet Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison) a mean, stupid, sadistic man. In this setting, that is a dangerous combo, but he is the nephew of the governor's wife. Next we meet a violent prisoner named Wild Bill (Sam Rockwell) who is sentenced to death for killing three people in a robbery attempt. During the film, when Wild Bill grabs John Coffey's arm we learn who the real killer of the two young girls is.

In its simplest form The Green Mile is about an eye for an eye ... the problem with that is ... everyone ends up blind. With John Coffey being innocent, Paul is left with the life altering decision of what to do. Does he put to death one of God's true miracles? During a conversation with his wife, Paul decides to ask Coffey what he wants him to do. John Coffey replies: I'm tired. I'm tired of being alone. But mostly ... I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. The movie then flashes forward to Paul Edgecombe, now a hundred and eight years old telling his female companion of his curse in life. He is cursed to watch all his loved ones die. An eye for an eye........ May 30, 2008

The Green Mile, A Modern Day Classic!!

The Green Mile is one of my all time favorite films! I had bought the original DVD release, but when this two disc version came out I had to have it. In my opinion it is much better than the single disc version. If you are a fan of films based on the writings of Stephen King you'll love this movie, but then again, if that is the case you have already purchased this. In closing I must say that this film isn't for Stephen King Purists who have already bashed this film anyhow. May 10, 2008

slight problem when i received my copy of this

well this is an awesome movie first off yes it does not follow the movie exactly but it is faithful to the heart of the story, however when i received my own copy of this from amazon disc 1 was actually labeled as disc 2 luckily i checked before i sent it back to amazon. so if you order this and it's 2 copies of disc 2 check before u send it back, one of them may actually be disc one. May 7, 2008

Fantastic from book to screenplay!

Having first read "The Green Mile" when Stephen King published them in Chapter Books, I was in love with the story even before it made it to the big screen. The story always seems to get lost in translation between the two mediums, however the events I had pictures in my mind were very realistic on the big screen. Well done! April 29, 2008

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