The Green Mile (1999)

7 July 2019

Frank Darabont wrote three screenplays based off of Stephen King novels: The Mist, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile. Historically he has a great track record - I have seen the first two (both 9/10), and tonight, after reading the book, I watched The Green Mile.

The screenplays by Darabont reflect King's writing very well, and his take on The Green Mile is no exception. His writing and plot follow the book and hold their suspense in spite of knowing the tale. I don't think there's a better screenwriter for King's films than Darabont.

The acting is fantastic throughout: Hanks and Duncan are obviously the stars of the show, but everyone plays their parts phenomenally. David Morse I think also had a solid performance as 'Brutal' worthy of mention. Outside of the main actors, I was particularly happy seeing James Cromwell, Gary Sinise, and even a young Sam Rockwell in the mix.

The Green Mile has those "film of the 90s" moments, though. You can feel it as a product of its time, with the lack of CGI, the plasticity of filming and acting (I don't know how better to describe it), and the close-up camera angles that was the style at the time. That said, in spite of it there are a lot of moments where it holds its own visually or with its actors.

It's true to the book though (and King even approved of the adaptation), and it keeps your attention even if you already read it. It was cut intelligently, and it changed things for the better when it did. 10/10