The Green Mile : A movie you should watch at least once in your life

Initial release: December 6, 1999 (USA) / Director & Screenplay: Frank Darabont / Story by: Stephen King /*Rated R for Violence, language and some sex-related material.

I first watched this film when I was 16 years old, a freshman in high school. Our English teacher put it on after we had finished reading and analysing our assigned book of the semester: Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck.

At first I wasn’t paying attention to the film, the same goes for my classmates as well. Everyone was talking or was secretly on their phones. But for some reason, 15 minutes into the film, all eyes were locked on to the screen.

The film “The Green Mile’’ is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The film revolves around the Cold Mountain Penitentiary’s death row where Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) is the ward superintendent. The prison receives a new convict named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a huge African American who is accused of murdering two little girls. Paul later discovers that John has a particular gift.

This film does a very good job in mixing fantasy with real drama and real problems of the 1930s in the U.S. One of the largest problems in those times was racism towards African-Americans. The film teaches us to look beyond a person’s physical appearance such as the colour of their skin, their looks or their size. As you will see in the film, one of the meanest characters is a Caucasian despite the association of Caucasian with integrity. This film will show how “miracles can happen in the most unexpected places”.

After watching “The Green Mile” for the forth time in the span of 2 years, from a person who does not have a habit of rewatching films, I can assure you that this film is an absolute masterpiece. It has all the components that a good film should have. There were conflicts of moral dilemma. It will make you think long and hard about supporting the death penalty and also about the stereotypes of each race. The two leading characters: John and Paul, had Oscar-worthy performances. Despite the 3 hour length, the film did not bore me for even one minute.

I guarantee that this film will leave an impression in your mind for a while as it did to mine. It is definitely one of the films you must watch at least once in your life. Some films do more than just entertain, they touch your soul. The Green Mile is certainly one of them.