The Green Mile

Drama, Fantasy, Thriller

Tom Hanks	Paul Edgecomb
Michael Clarke Duncan	John Coffey
Patricia Clarkson	Melinda Moores
Jeffrey DeMunn	Harry Terwilliger
Dabbs Greer	Old Paul Edgecomb
Eve Brent	Elaine Connelly
Bonnie Hunt	Jan Edgecomb
David Morse	Brutus Howell
Barry Pepper	Dean Stanton
James Cromwell	Warden Hal Moores
Harry Dean Stanton	Toot-Toot
Graham Greene	Arlen Bitterbuck
Doug Hutchison	Percy Wetmore
Michael Jeter	Eduard Delacroix
Paula Malcomson	Marjorie Detterick

Director	Frank Darabont
Producer	Frank Darabont; David Valdes
Writer	Frank Darabont; Stephen King
Cinematography	David Tattersall
Musician	Thomas Newman; Jeff Coopwood; Jimmy McHugh

"The book was better" has been the complaint of many a reader since the invention of movies. Frank Darabont's second adaptation of a Stephen King prison drama (The Shawshank Redemption was the first) is a very faithful adaptation of King's serial novel. In the middle of the Depression, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) runs death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Into this dreary world walks a mammoth prisoner, John Coffey (Michael Duncan) who, very slowly, reveals a special gift that will change the men working and dying (in the electric chair, masterfully and grippingly staged) on the mile . As with King's book, Darabont takes plenty of time to show us Edgecomb's world before delving into John Coffey's mystery. With Darabont's superior storytelling abilities, his touch for perfect casting, and a leisurely 188-minute running time, his movie brings to life nearly every character and scene from the novel. Darabont even improves the novel's two endings, creating a more emotionally satisfying experience. The running time may try patience, but those who want a story, as opposed to quick-fix entertainment, will be rewarded by this finely tailored tale. --Doug Thomas