The Green Mile is a beautiful and stunning adaptation of Steven King’s best selling novel. Filled with a brilliant cast, and acting performances that will leave you blown away, this film is a must watch for all film fans out there. It’s another example of why I’m so happy that Film4 is now free, because I just saw it on that channel for the first time.
The story is set in prison in the 1930’s and focuses on the inmates on death row. As time goes by we get to know each of the characters whose depth and complexity draw you in from the very beginning.
Tom Hanks is Paul Edgecomb: senior prison guard of the green mile. Hanks delivers a strong and believable performance as we follow him through his routine duties and watch as he slowly begins to befriend one of the inmates John Coffey. Coffey is a man sentenced to death after being accused of the rape and murder of two little girls, but everything about his nature suggests he is an innocent man who wishes no harm to anyone. As the story progresses we come to learn that John Coffey is no ordinary man, he appears to have supernatural powers the likes of which no-one has ever seen before and that no one can truly explain. All the inmates are subject to the cruel and twisted punishments issued by the big shot prison management and a sly little prison guard called Percy Wetmore (Played brilliantly by Doug Hutchinson who some of you may remember as one of the most well known X Files villains Eugene Tooms).
The bond that appears between the inmates and the hope and inspiration given by just one man is truly beautiful and a real joy to watch as we see the story unfold and lead us on many twists and turns throughout. The movie truly does justice to Steven King’s original novel and has helped it to become a cult classic with film lovers as well as book enthusiasts and with a fantastic supporting cast such as David Morse, James Cromwell and Patricia Clarkson to name but a few, you will definitely not be left disappointed. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who has not just seen it as it is one of those rare masterpieces that you really can watch over and over again and still pick up on a few different little details each time. In short, The Green Mile is a perfect example of filmmaking at its best. Combining fantastic acting with some brilliant cinematography this is a gem of a movie that you simply must see at least once in your life.
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Full cast list for The Green Mile: Bailey Drucker, Barry Pepper, Bill Gratton, Bill McKinney, Bonnie Hunt, Brent Briscoe, Brian Libby, Christopher Joel Ives, Dabbs Greer, David E. Browning, David Morse, Dee Croxton, Doug Hutchison, Edrie Warner, Evanne Drucker, Eve Brent, Gary Imhoff, Gary Sinise, Graham Greene, Harry Dean Stanton, James Cromwell, James Marshall Wolchok, Jeffrey DeMunn, Katelyn Leavenworth, Mack Miles, Michael Clarke Duncan, Michael Jeter, Patricia Clarkson, Paula Malcomson, Phil Hawn, Rachel Singer, Rai Tasco, Rebecca Klingler, Sam Rockwell, Scotty Leavenworth, Ted Hollis, Tim Smith, Todd Thompson, Tom Hanks, Tommy Barnes, Van Epperson, William Sadler.