Review

With his first film since his 1994 masterpiece The Shawshank Redemption, director Darabont returns with yet another stirring Stephen King adaptation. A little too long for its own good, The Green Mile is the mystical and powerful story of a physically large but mentally slow prisoner (Oscar nominee Duncan) who is transferred to the death row cellblock of a Louisiana penitentiary (known as the Green Mile) and how he comes to effect not only the guards there but his fellow prisoners as well. Hanks leads a splendid cast as the head guard who comes to realize that his prisoner may be blessed with extraordinary powers. Director Darabont creates a terrific evocation of the times, and maintains such a lyrical pace it often feels poetic.