The Green Mile: Another perfect Stephen King adaptation from Darabont

The Green Mile (Drama, Fantasy)

Directed by Frank Darabont

Starring Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jeffrey DeMunn and David Morse

Warner Bros. | 1999 | 188 min | Rated R | Released Dec 01, 2009

Video:

Video codec: VC-1

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio:

English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1

English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Turkish: Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles:

English SDH, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German SDH, Greek, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish

Disc:

Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc

The Film 5/5

If you read my Top 20 Drama articles, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Frank Darabont’s Stephen King adaptations. The Shawshank Redemption ranks second and The Green Mile is just behind in fourth.

Watching a Darabont movie is like entering another world. He takes his time with the story and the development of the characters. Don’t expect fast cuts and short scenes; each film is a work of art that is meant to be savored.

Before I talk about the film, I have to mention a funny story. Stephen King decided to write the book in a series of six installments. King was inspired by Charles Dickens, who also liked the serial novel format. I found the first installment in a supermarket and kept the receipt. A scan of it is shown opposite. See if you can spot the unusual item (five items from the top). It’s amazing what you can buy in supermarkets these days. I guess I was low on junk food that week? What a terrible diet I had back then.

The Green Mile is set in a Louisiana prison, but, unlike The Shawshank Redemption, the inmates can only interact by talking and never leave their cells to mingle. Each prisoner is condemned to death and is awaiting a meeting with Old Sparky, the electric chair.

The story is narrated by Paul Edgecomb (Dabbs Greer and Tom Hanks), the head warder, and the vast majority of the story is told through the use of flashback and is set in 1935. He explains how he met a huge black prisoner named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan). Coffey is a simple man and seemingly gentle despite his size, but he was found guilty of murdering two little girls. His behavior doesn’t do anything to suggest that he was capable of such an act.

Coffey has a secret, but I can’t reveal it here without ruining the movie. His nature becomes apparent about an hour into the film and it changes everything.

The story revolves around Edgecomb’s role in running the prison and how he reacts when he finds out Coffey’s true nature. Prison life is fairly quiet, but Edgecomb has to deal with an annoying warder called Percy Wetmore. We are told that Wetmore has connections and so the other warders have to tolerate him or risk losing their jobs. Another thing that upsets Edgecomb’s routine is the addition of a new prisoner, 'Wild Bill' Wharton (Sam Rockwell), who likes to make as much trouble as possible.

One part of the story concerns the appearance of a mouse. The reaction of the individual warders reveals something about their own nature and it’s a brilliant plot device. Unfortunately, I can’t say anything more about the mouse without ruining the story.

The Green Mile isn’t what it seems. It begins like a hard-hitting drama, but things change as we discover more about the characters. In the end, the story is about trust and belief. It’s very powerful and some of the characters do extraordinary things. The warders, with the exception of Percy, are a close-knit group. They demonstrate the kind of trust that can only occur between close friends. The stakes are high and the story is compelling.

I’ll say no more about the plot other than that the conclusion is very satisfying.

Darabont draws strong performances from every member of the cast. Hanks is superb as usual, but the story wouldn’t work without Michael Clarke Duncan’s performance and his Oscar nomination was well deserved. I could mention at least 15 actors who played their role to perfection. Darabont was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay and the film deserved all of the recognition it received. The mouse should have won an Oscar.

The film has a couple of disturbing scenes, such as one of the executions, but is generally a series of character studies. You’ll be sucked into the story because of what the characters do, rather than for any special effects or shocking scenes. The story has a lot of heart and will stay with you long after the credits roll. At 189-minutes, many will be wary of watching the film. Don’t let that put you off. Good films never feel too long, and this is a very good film.

Video Quality 4/5

The VC-1 transfer looks very good for the most part. Detail in close-ups is exceptional and, apart from a few soft scenes, detail is generally strong throughout. Black levels are problematic on occasion. Darabont uses plenty of dark shots using blacks, grays and browns. Sometimes, shadows obscure some of the detail. I’m very happy with the upgrade, but it could have been slightly better. Owners of the DVD will be relieved that the Blu-ray comfortably contains the entire film, so you won’t have to flip the disc over as you did with the DVD.

Audio Quality 4/5

The English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is quiet and I found myself increasing the volume by 10 decibels over my normal level. Once that adjustment was made, everything sounded clear. It’s a dialogue-driven film, but the surrounds do play a part when required. Listen to the sound of the mouse running across the floor and you’ll hear the fine detail in the mix. One electrocution is particularly noisy and you’ll feel like it’s happening right in front of you. I couldn’t detect any imperfections in the track at all.

Special Features 5/5

The extras all appear in standard definition:

Commentary by Director Frank Darabont

Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile (25:30)

Miracles and Mystery: Creating The Green Mile (1:42:54) – If the commentary and “Making Of” features weren’t enough, here’s an in-depth look at every aspect of making the film. It’s split into six parts if the running time seems daunting:

Stephen King: Storyteller

The Art of Adaptation

Acting on the Mile

Designing the Mile

The Magic of the Mile

The Tail of Mr. Jingles

Deleted Scenes (3:38) – Two scenes which didn’t make it into the film.

Michael Clarke Duncan's Screen Test (8:26)

Tom Hanks' Makeup Tests (5:30)

Trailers

The Green Mile is a film about hope, trust, friendship and the power of belief. It’s a stunning achievement and the story never feels boring despite the long running time. I give it a spin every three months or so and am always glad to visit that world once again. Anyone who enjoys good acting, master storytelling and emotional drama would probably find a lot to like in this film.

Overall score 5/5

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My Top 20 science fiction movies: Part 3, #6-10

My Top 20 science fiction movies (continued)

10. Blade Runner (1982)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young

Blade Runner is set in Los Angeles in the year 2019 and it’s the kind of film that makes you think. There’s not an abundance of action, but there’s enough to keep the story moving. It’s slower than most science fiction films, but that’s a positive in this case. Deckard (Ford) is a Blade Runner; a man charged with finding and killing six replicants. Replicants are androids who are hard to tell from humans. Ridley Scott is asking us to consider what makes someone human. Some of the actions of the replicants suggest that they are human, so it’s a difficult task telling the two apart. The film is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. This isn’t Star Wars, so don’t expect to see Ford running around defying the odds. The first time I saw the film, I didn’t like it at all. It’s gradually grown on me over the years and is worth looking at a second or third time if you didn’t like it the first time you saw it. The Blu-ray presentation makes one of the best cases for upgrading to HD. I wouldn’t be surprised if I rank Blade Runner higher when I have seen it a few more times.

9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Starring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon and Teri Garr

Spielberg likes to make movies with mass appeal and Close Encounters of the Third Kind certainly fits into that category. It grossed $304 million worldwide and ranks 69^th on the all-time list (adjusted for inflation). So why did so many people pay to see the movie? The title suggests that we will see a lot of close encounters, but that’s not the case. Spielberg shows a few spaceships at the beginning of the movie and almost two hours pass before we see any others. The movie works because of the suspense it creates. When Roy (Dreyfuss) has a close encounter, he starts to behave oddly. What is he doing and why is he doing it? Will he persist even though it threatens his marriage? Although the pacing never feels slow, there’s almost no action in the entire movie. The story is built around two people who feel compelled to travel to a certain destination. It was a plus to see François Truffaut in front of the camera rather than behind it and he was convincing as a French scientist. Spielberg has delivered a suspense movie disguised as science fiction. It works wonderfully. The Blu-ray looks and sounds almost perfect and includes all three versions of the movie.

8. War of the Worlds (2005)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins

I ranked the 1953 version of War of the Worlds at number 18 and I usually can’t stand seeing classics remade, but I like what Spielberg did with the 2005 version. First of all, it isn’t exactly a remake. It’s set in this century and includes modern technology. He sticks to the rules established in the first movie, but it’s shown from the viewpoint of a different set of characters. The special effects leave very little to the imagination and you’ll see people disintegrate before your eyes rather than simply vanish. The Martian machines are deadly and convincing and the acting is so much better than what we saw in the original version. The pacing is excellent and the action rarely lets up. Ray Ferrier (Cruise) tries to keep his children safe. He’s never completely earned their respect, but he steps up when the crisis develops and finally earns their trust. Spielberg respects the original movie by delivering a similar ending. It won’t appeal to everyone, but I’m glad he didn’t change it too much. You might have found yourself laughing at the original version, but there’s not much to laugh at here. It’s a suspenseful action movie with good special effects. The Blu-ray is a little grainy, but decent, and the sound quality alone makes it worth the upgrade. 

7. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Directed by Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving

The three Matrix movies often leave viewers divided. While most people like The Matrix, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions commonly meet with criticism. I like all three and consider each part of the trilogy vital to make all three work effectively. This middle entry is almost as good as the first in my opinion. Agent Smith becomes an even more interesting character and it’s good to have some background information showing how and where the crew lives. It also boasts one of the best chase scenes I’ve seen. I respect the opinion of those who were disappointed by the sequels, but this is my list and I would be lying if I failed to include The Matrix Reloaded. The Blu-ray presentation is highly-detailed and the sound mix is bold. Both definitely add something to the intensity of the overall experience.

6. Moon (2009)

Directed by Duncan Jones

Starring Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey

It’s difficult to talk about Moon without giving away too much of the plot, so I’ll keep this brief. Sam Bell (Rockwell) works for a mining company based on the far side of the moon. He can contact Earth by sending videos, but his only source of companionship on the station is Gerty (Spacey); a computer similar to HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Gerty talks to him, prepares his meals, cuts his hair and takes care of him if he gets hurt. Sam’s contract runs for three years and he’s only got two weeks to go. One day, he suffers an accident while on a routine mission to the surface, and wakes up in the infirmary. He’s unable to remember certain details and may even be hallucinating. We’re unsure whether he’s suffered brain damage or permanent injury. Director Duncan Jones has a few surprises in store. The feel of the movie is distinctly old school, and is similar to 2001 in some ways. Jones uses convincing models to portray events on the surface. Rockwell plays a difficult role extremely well, but I can’t describe the details without ruining the plot. The Blu-ray presentation looks great considering the film had a budget of just $5 million. Jones’ debut feature is a significant achievement and it was good to see him work with a bigger budget and other established actors in his second movie, Source Code.

Click here to see numbers 16-20 on the list.

Click here to see numbers 11-15 on the list.
Click here to see numbers 1-5 on the list. 

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Conviction: True story of the fight to free a wrongly-convicted man

Conviction (drama, biography)

Directed by Tony Goldwyn

Starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo

20th Century Fox | 2010 | 102 min | Rated R | Released Feb 01, 2011

Video:

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

French, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:

English SDH, Spanish

Disc:

Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc

The Film 3.5/5

Conviction tells the true story of Betty Anne Waters (Swank) and her 18-year fight to free her brother Kenny (Rockwell), who was convicted of murder. She was a young woman with two children, working in a bar at the time of Kenny’s conviction. Instead of accepting it, she decided to study law part-time so that she could access evidence and fight the case on his behalf.

The story is told with the use of a few flashbacks. The first shows us how Kenny is arrested by police officer Nancy Taylor (Leo), while others show us the relationship between Kenny and Betty Anne when they were small children. Kenny is originally cleared of suspicion, but is arrested a second time two years later. After a series of damning testimonies, he receives a life sentence.

Both siblings struggle to adjust. Kenny tries to commit suicide in prison and Betty Anne almost flunks her class. She splits with her boyfriend and is dismayed when her two boys ask to live with their father because she doesn’t spend enough time with them. Imagine having to give up your children in that way. Her decision to help her brother consumed her.

Betty Anne is given new hope when she learns in school that DNA testing has freed other wrongly-convicted prisoners. She passes her exam and qualifies as a lawyer, enlisting the help of classmate Abra Rice (Driver) and a group specializing in freeing prisoners with the help of DNA evidence.

One of the biggest problems she faces is tracking down evidence that is so old. She eventually discovers some disturbing facts about the case and fights to reveal the truth. Kenny is powerless to help, but Betty Anne gives him the courage to go on with his life. She’s his inspiration.

The main theme of the story is the love between a brother and sister and how it impacts each of their lives. It’s an inspirational tale and Swank and Rockwell nail their roles. While all the ingredients are there to make a moving drama, something doesn’t quite work.

Betty Anne sacrifices so much and we should feel elated when she achieves her goal, but the setup was lacking and I wasn’t completely drawn in. Maybe it’s that we are never totally sure that Kenny is innocent? Or perhaps it’s because all the childhood flashbacks involve scenes in which the siblings are breaking the law in some small way? Maybe it’s because Swank and Rockwell are so good in other roles that I had unrealistic expectations?

Video Quality 4.5/5

The film looks great. Detail is sharp throughout and I couldn’t detect any obvious problem with the presentation. There isn’t a lot of beauty in the film as the settings were drab and grimy for the most part, but everything looks natural and real.

Audio Quality 4/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix does everything it is supposed to. This is a story driven by dialogue and it comes across clearly in every scene. There’s nothing flashy and the rear channels are used sparingly, but the track is free of any blemishes.

Special Features 1/5

There’s just one feature included in the package and it only lasts 10 minutes. Director Tony Goldwyn talks to the real Betty Anne Waters. We learn how long it took for the film to be made and some of the problems encountered along the way. The feature includes a rather sobering fact: Kenny died in an accident just six months after being released.

This is a good film. It’s well-acted and easy to follow. There are some strong scenes, especially when Swank and Rockwell are on screen together. But it’s not a great film, and I can only recommend it as a rental.

Overall score 3.5/5 

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