A review of the two-disc DVD edition of The Green Mile

The Green Mile, directed by Fran Darabont, is perhaps the best film adaptation of a Stephen King novel ever done, and there have been quite a few. I’ve seen this movie at least twenty times over the last nine years and the two dramatic scenes between Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) and John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) near the end are probably some of the best acting that has ever been done in Hollywood. This movie and its stars should have won Oscars for the sheer quality of their performances and what they brought to the screen.

The movie itself deals with an innocent man (John Coffey) being charged with the deaths of two little girls in 1935. He's sent to prison, specifically the Green Mile, to await his execution. The nickname of the Green Mile refers to the lime green corridor that an inmate has to walk down to get to the electric chair, or Old Sparky as it was called at the time. What happens between John Coffey and Paul Edgecomb, who's in charge of this part of the prison is the basis for the story. Paul has spent enough time as a prison guard to know the difference between an evil man and a good man. He instinctively knows that John Coffey is one of the latter. In fact, Coffey is a gentle soul who has the unique gift of being able to heal sick people and animals when he touches them. He can also pick up the thoughts and memories of the people that he comes in contact with. Over the course of days and weeks, Paul Edgecomb begins to believe in Coffey’s innocence, but he has no way of proving it and putting a halt to the upcoming execution. That’s his dilemma and curse.

The writing of the Green Mile is Stephen King at his best. This is also the absolute best work that Frank Darabont has done. Well, that's not quite true. The Shawshank Redemption ties with it. I've watched that about twenty times, too. Anyway, this is a film about love and friendship and the evil that often resides in humanity. It's about life and the miracles that can occur when you least expect. As Paul Edgecomb says in his later years, “Everybody has to walk their own green mile. Never were truer words spoken. The film has a stellar supporting cast with David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Barry Pepper, Patricia Clark, Doug Hutchison, the great Jeffrey DeMunn, and Sam Rockwell. This is certainly a movie that both Darabont and King can be proud of.

The new 2-disc DVD edition includes the old documentary: Walking The Green Mile, but it's a longer version than the original one on the previous DVD. It also has a new 6-featurette documentary on the making of The Green Mile that's ninety minutes long and will pretty much tell you everything you want to know about the making of the movie. There's also a commentary by Frank Darabont on the entire film. The new material is excellent with up-to-date interviews, which includes most of the cast and crew. This is definitely the definitive edition of The Green Mile and worth being in anyone’s film library. Highly Recommended!