Green Mile, The (UK)
Miracles happen in the most unexpected places
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 181 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Miracles happen in unexpected places, even in the death-row cellblock at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. There John Coffey, a gentle giant of a prisoner with supernatural powers, brings a sense of spirit and humanity to his guards and fellow inmates.
Tom Hanks leads a stellar ensemble (including Michael Clarke Duncan as Coffey) in this emotional, uplifting story of guards and captives; husbands and wives; prisoners and a remarkable mouse named Mr. Jingles; and, on another level, of a moviemaker and his source.
That filmmaker is Frank Darabont, who returns after his 1994 directorial debut The Shawshank Redemption to adapt another tale by Stephen King into stirring, crowd-pleasing entertainment nominated for 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
`Walking The Mile` Documentary
Original Theatrical Trailer
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1 German
Subtitle Tracks:
Icelandic
CC: German
Italian
Swedish
Finnish
Romanian
English
German
CC: English
Dutch
Arabic
Danish
Norwegian
Bulgarian
Directed By:
Frank Darabont
Written By:
Frank Darabont
Stephen King
Starring:
Graham Greene
Michael Jeter
James Cromwell
Michael Clarke Duncan
Bonnie Hunt
David Morse
Tom Hanks
Casting By:
Mali Finn
Soundtrack By:
Thomas Newman
Director of Photography:
David Tattersall
Editor:
Richard Francis-Bruce
Costume Designer:
Karyn Wagner
Production Designer:
Terence Marsh
Producer:
David Valdes
Frank Darabont
Distributor:
Warner Bros
Your Opinions and Comments
The film has more of a supernatural element to it and "feels" more like a Stephen King film.
Also while "Redemption" was about eeerm redemption and hope, this is about hopelessness and the inevenitability of death, so consequently has a downbeat, rather dark feel to it.
As a result, fans of Redemption`s "feel good" factor, may be disappointed or even slightly depressed by this film (though it does contain humourous moments).
Having said that, this is a very good film and is both superbly acted, directed and full of memorable moments. But it`s just not the same sort of film as the Shawshank Redemption...
The picture quality is fine, much of the film is set in dim prison cells with guards in black uniforms, so there isn`t much colour. But the transfer is clean and sharp.
The soundtrack has lot`s of dialogue and so there isn`t too much to show off your surround sound. But the orchestral soundtrack is pretty good.
The extras are worth watching once, but nothing special. A brief documentary, which doesn`t reveal too much, but does have a few interesting comments from the director and Stephen King.
In summary, a very good film (deserving of it`s Oscar nominations) full of quality acting and memorable moments. But, it`s dark/downbeat feel may not be to everybody`s taste, so rent it before you buy.
I`ve already reviewed the region 1 disk about a year and a half ago, but I now got a chance to buy the region 2 disk for pennies.
The 2 versions are almost identical.
The story is beautiful, the acting is superb (Duncan excels in particular) and everything feels just right.
The video transfer is very good. There aren`t any compression signs and the dark scenes reveal a great level of details.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is also very good. While there aren`t that many split surround effects, the surrounds are nicely used, mainly for ambiance.
The menus are animated with sound.
The extras include a 10 minute behind the scenes featurette, but that`s it. Too bad.
Bottom line - a superb movie. Don`t miss this one.