The Green Mile (1999)

The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.

Director:

Frank Darabont

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Frank Darabont (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, David Morse, Michael Clarke Duncan

Top 250 #62 | Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Paul Edgecomb
David Morse	...	Brutus 'Brutal' Howell
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	John Coffey
Bonnie Hunt	...	Jan Edgecomb
James Cromwell	...	Warden Hal Moores
Michael Jeter	...	Eduard Delacroix
Graham Greene	...	Arlen Bitterbuck
Doug Hutchison	...	Percy Wetmore
Sam Rockwell	...	'Wild Bill' Wharton
Barry Pepper	...	Dean Stanton
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Harry Terwilliger
Patricia Clarkson	...	Melinda Moores
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Toot-Toot
Dabbs Greer	...	Old Paul Edgecomb
Eve Brent	...	Elaine Connelly

Storyline

Death Row guards at a penitentiary, in the 1930's, have a moral dilemma with their job when they discover one of their prisoners, a convicted murderer, has a special gift.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | death row | prison guard | 1930s | murder | 

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Taglines:

Miracles happen in the most unexpected places.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sex-related material

Details

Official Sites:

official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

10 December 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Green Mile

Filming Locations:

Blowing Rock, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£83,473 (UK) (25 February 2000)

Gross:

AUD 7,730,847 (Australia) (15 December 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Darkwoods Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

189 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rodney Barnes was Michael Clarke Duncan's stand-in. According to Barnes, he sneaked onto the set by hiding in the paddy wagon. He surprised Frank Darabont and asked for a job. Darabont was impressed with Barnes' effort and hired him. Barnes wanted to work on the film so that he could meet his favorite author, Stephen King.

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Goofs

When Del finally dies his jaw is slack, but when it shows his body on the gurney his teeth are clenched tight.

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Quotes

John Coffey: Boss. Saw me a mouse go by.
Paul Edgecomb: Can't put anything over on you.

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Connections

References One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

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Soundtracks

"I Can't Give You Anything But Love"
Written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields
Performed by Billie Holiday
Courtesy of Columbia Records by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

A rare gem of casting and direction.

Frank Darabont returns to the directors chair with another adaptation of Stephen Kings novel. The events take place at a death row, the guards call the green mile. The story is a layered, rather character-driven fantasy tale of the events that transpire at "the mile" after the arrival of a giant man, John Coffey (Michael Duncan), convicted of the murder of two small girls. Actually this is not one single story, but several tied together seamlessly.

A character-driven movie requires a lot from the cast, and fortunately when it comes to cast, The Green Mile delivers. As the poster of the movie tells, this movie stars Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, senior prison guard of the mile, and as always he performs very well indeed. Yet the cast around him is even more spectacular, perhaps partially due to them being relatively unknown. With a face you know, one inevitably remembers previous performances, and the new role is coloured by this. Doug Hutchison as Percy Wetmore, a mean spirited prison guard was particularly impressive, yet his character could have been given more depth. The most captivating was the performance of Michael Duncan.

It is hard to find a flaw in this movie. The camerawork is superb, cast wonderful and direction flawless. The movie's considerable length, a bit over three hours, is something that had me worried. Yet the marvellous cast and the peaceful yet firm pace of the movie held my attention progressively through the three hours right to the touching culmination. Many will find this movie to be too long, but I for one was delighted of the style, combination of simplicity of events and depth of characters and conversation.

All in all the The Green Mile is a very touching drama, with the joys and sorrows of the life pictured with great skill, if not the best movie of the year. Five out of five.