Review of Green Mile, The

Introduction

Frank Darabont realised the true potential of Stephen King when he transferred one of the author`s stories, The Shawshank Redemption, to the silver screen in 1994, receiving critical acclaim and my love for it along the way.

Now another one of King`s novels, The Green Mile, has taken the journey from page to screen. Set on Death Row in the 1930s, it is the story of Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) - a slightly cynical veteran prison guard whose faith, and sanity, deteriorated by watching men live and die. Edgecomb is about to have a complete turn around in attitude when John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) arrives on the `green mile`. He`s eight feet tall. He has hands the size of waffle irons. He`s been accused of the murder of two children...and he`s afraid to sleep in a cell without a night-light. And Edgecomb, as well as the other prison guards - including Brutus (David Morse), a sympathetic guard, and Percy (Doug Hutchinson), a stuck up, perverse, and violent person, are in for a strange experience that involves intelligent mice, brutal executions, and the revelation about Coffey`s true identity.

With an all-star cast and Darabont on writer/director duties, the film is already off to a good start. But the question is, can it maintain the momentum and deliver something to rival or even better, The Shawshank Redemption, or perhaps a completely different, yet still rich, cinematic experience?

Video

1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The visuals are deep and well defined, with the shades of light in the film shown with good saturation and minimal edge enhancement to ruin the quality. The print is crisp and clear, and the transfer replicates this with a picture that is always free from artefacts such as compression signs, and thankfully, dust and grain is not evident. An accomplished transfer.

The setting of the 180 minute film is mainly in Block E - or the `green mile` as the guards dub it - but occassionally the action does switch to exterior locations, such as the sweeping introduction and during the scenes that develop Edgecomb`s character, which usually take place at his home or at a few other locales that also develop the plot. Darabont again manages to make a prison feel how the particular scene is meant to feel - whether it is claustrophobic or menacing.

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 (English & German). The surrounds are not used on their own as much as some other soundtracks on other films, but they are used in conjunction with the main audio stream well, to create ambiance, although during the executions the various ranges of audio are impressive as the soundstage envelopes around you. The front speakers are crisp and clear throughout - used mainly for dialogue - and do a good job. The subwoofer is partially active: a little more use of this would have been better, but nonetheless, the other parts of this mix more than compensate.

Adapted from the wonderful novel of the same name (which incidentally was published in six parts, so technically it is classed as a novella), the two medium`s are surprisingly similar, with little cut out from King`s version. Although the quality of the novel was such that any screenplay would be relatively easy to produce, Darabont has once again added his own style to it in some ways.

Just like for The Shawshank Redemption, Thomas Newman provides the music, with an enchanting score complimenting the on-screen action. Newman`s distinct style - used in numerous films - is present as ever, and this is something that really defines The Green Mile for what it is.

Features

This is a three hour film, presented with a very good transfer and soundtrack, meaning that the space on this DVD9 (this means a single-sided, dual-layer disc for you newbies) is almost all used up...which means the extras will no doubt suffer.

"Walking The Mile" is a 10 minute behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, featuring soundbites with all the main cast (excluding Sam Rockwell for some reason), producer, writer/director, and Stephen King himself. It is good, as it shows a good atmosphere on set, whilst also offering some insight into the production. One problem: it is too damn short, but the reason for this is explained above.

A theatrical trailer completes the package. The trailer is good, showing some of the best moments from the film, although the footage hasn`t been cut together that well, as perhaps a slightly different approach would have been better.

The menus are animated well with music in the background and clips from the film with the odd animation on the screen. They are very easy to navigate.

Conclusion

Comparisons to The Shawshank Redemption and other Stephen King adaptations are inevitable, and useful as they can be used as examples of how this film betters all of them. The Green Mile is a look at humans and their instincts, and the way we deal with life and death in equal measure, with prejudice and misconception thrown in for good measure.

With the backdrop of a bleak Death Row in the Deep South during the Depression, some of the bright aspects of the story are able to emerge, juxtaposing their setting well, although brutality is also rife, mainly due to the setting.

The acting in The Green Mile is immense to say the least - Hanks is his usual excellent self pulling out all the stops as weary prison guard Edgecomb, but the real star of the film is Duncan, who humanises an eight-foot giant in a way that seemingly no other actor could. The Academy made yet another mistake by not honouring him for his work: although he received the nomination, the fact he didn`t actually walk away with the statue is unexcusable.

The same can be said for the other elements of the film - especially Darabont as he proves that he is no one-trick pony with yet more astounding direction. This should have swept the 1999 Oscars, as it feels like a Best Picture kind of film, and the other awards (Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Screenplay, Score, Sound) should have come in due course.

However, I think one is able to ignore this Hollywood mistake (come on, they make so many that this is now commonplace) and instead honour this classic with an ever greater award: a positive response and multiple viewings, as well as spreading the fact that this deserves to be seen, and loved, by everyone.

This in short is one of my, if not the, favourite films, because the way everything comes together is astounding and captivating. The characters are an eclectic bunch, yet axing even one of them would spoil some of the magic of the narrative, as there really is the sense that they are all there for a reason, and that reason is to create a truly great tale.

The disc itself is good, with pleasing presentation and although the extras are below-average, the overall package is more than sufficient due to content alone, and one must understand that without releasing a 2-disc edition, Warner Bros. could do little else, extras-wise.

Every DVD enthusiast should own this, and watch it regularly. Ignore the hefty running time - it flies past - and instead focus on one hell of a film. It can safely be called a classic.