The Green Mile
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The Green Mile is a 1999 American fantasy drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King s 1996 novel of the same name. It stars Tom Hanks as a death row prison guard during the Great Depression who witnesses supernatural events following the arrival of an enigmatic convict (Michael Clarke Duncan) at his facility. David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Doug Hutchison and James Cromwell appear in supporting roles.

The film premiered on December 10, 1999, in the United States to positive reviews from critics, who praised Darabont s direction and writing, emotional weight, and performances (particularly for Hanks and Duncan), although its length received criticism. It was a commercial success, grossing $286 million from its $60 million budget, and was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Duncan, Best Sound and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.

Plot

At a Louisiana assisted-living home in 1999, elderly retiree Paul Edgecomb becomes emotional while viewing the film Top Hat. His companion Elaine becomes concerned, and Paul explains to her that the film reminded him of events that he witnessed when he was an officer at Cold Mountain Penitentiary s death row, nicknamed The Green Mile .

In 1935, Paul supervises Corrections Officers Brutus Brutal Howell, Dean Stanton, Harry Terwilliger, and Percy Wetmore, reporting to chief warden Hal Moores. Percy, the nephew of the state governor s wife, demonstrates a sadistic streak but flaunts his family connections to avoid being held accountable; he is particularly abusive towards prisoner Eduard Del Delacroix, breaking his fingers and killing his pet mouse Mr. Jingles.

Paul is introduced to John Coffey, a physically imposing but mild-mannered African-American man sentenced to death after being convicted of raping and murdering two young white girls. He joins two other condemned convicts on the block: Del, and Arlen Bitterbuck, the latter of whom is the first to be executed. Meanwhile, the officers are forced to deal with psychotic new inmate William Wild Bill Wharton, who frequently causes trouble by assaulting the officers and racially abusing John, forcing them to restrain him in the block s padded cell on more than one occasion.

After John heals Paul s severe bladder infection by touching him and later resurrecting Mr. Jingles, Paul gradually realizes that John possesses a supernatural ability to heal others. Suspecting that John is endowed with the power to perform divine miracles, Paul doubts whether he is truly guilty of his crimes.

In exchange for resigning from the penitentiary and accepting a job at an insane asylum, Percy is allowed to oversee Del s execution. At the execution, Percy deliberately avoids soaking the sponge used to conduct electricity to Del s head, leading to Del suffering a gruesome and agonizing death, with John forced to feel Del s pain as well. Paul and the other officers bind and gag Percy as punishment for his actions and force him to spend a night in the padded cell. While Percy is locked away, they secretly smuggle John out of the prison so that he can use his powers to heal Warden Moores wife Melinda of a brain tumor, saving her life. After Percy is released from the padded room, the others threaten to report him for his various acts of misconduct if his behavior continues.

John uses his powers to release Melinda s affliction into Percy s brain, causing Percy to shoot Wild Bill to death. Soon after, John reveals in a vision to Paul that Wild Bill was the true culprit of the crimes for which he was wrongfully condemned, releasing his supernatural energy into Paul in the process. Having suffered a mental breakdown, Percy is committed to the same insane asylum where he had planned to work after resigning from the prison.

Finally realizing that John is innocent, Paul is distraught at the thought of executing him, and offers to let him go free. John tells Paul that the execution would be an act of mercy, as he views the world as a cruel place, and is in constant pain from the suffering that people inflict upon each other. Mentioning that he has never seen a movie before, John watches Top Hat with the other officers as a last request. When executed later that night, he asks not to have a hood placed over his head, as he is afraid of the dark. The officers all watch in sadness, visibly holding back tears as Coffey is executed. Back in the present, Paul tells Elaine that John s was the last execution that he and Brutal witnessed, as they both subsequently resigned from the prison and took jobs in the juvenile system.

Concluding his story, Paul reveals that Del s mouse Mr. Jingles is still alive; having been blessed with a supernaturally long life thanks to John s healing touch. He also reveals that he himself is now 108 years old, having been 44 at the time of John s execution. While Elaine sees Paul s long life as another of John s miracles, Paul speculates that it may be a divine punishment and that he has been condemned to linger on Earth and outlive all of his loved ones for killing John. Paul is later shown attending Elaine s funeral, and muses on how much longer he has left to live.

Cast

  • Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, Warden Supervisor Dabbs Greer as older Paul Edgecomb
  • Dabbs Greer as older Paul Edgecomb
  • David Morse as Brutus Brutal Howell
  • Bonnie Hunt as Jan Edgecomb
  • Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey
  • James Cromwell as Hal Moores
  • Michael Jeter as Eduard Del Delacroix
  • Graham Greene as Arlen Bitterbuck
  • Doug Hutchison as Percy Wetmore
  • Sam Rockwell as William Wild Bill Wharton
  • Barry Pepper as Dean Stanton
  • Jeffrey DeMunn as Harry Terwillinger
  • Patricia Clarkson as Melinda Moores
  • Harry Dean Stanton as Toot-Toot
  • Eve Brent as Elaine Connelly
  • William Sadler as Klaus Detterick
  • Paula Malcomson as Marjorie Detterick
  • Evanne and Bailey Drucker as Kathe and Cora Detterick
  • Brent Briscoe as Bill Dodge
  • Bill McKinney as Jack Van Hay
  • Gary Sinise as Burt Hammersmith
  • Bill Gratton as Earl the Plumber

Production

Development

Darabont adapted Stephen King s novel, The Green Mile, into a screenplay in under eight weeks.

The film was shot at Warner Hollywood Studios, West Hollywood, California, and on location in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Blowing Rock, North Carolina and the old Tennessee State Prison. The interior sets were custom built by production designer Terence Marsh. We tried to give our set a sense of space. A sense of history. And a sense of mystery, in a way. We chose the elongated cathedral-like windows because there is a very mystical element in this movie, a supernatural element It presented us with lots of opportunities , he said. The electric chair was also a bespoke design, and was inspired by real prisons which have the device. The film title refers to the stretch of green floor that the hallway inmates walk down before they are to be executed by electric chair.

Casting

Hanks and Darabont met at an Academy Award luncheon in 1994. Stephen King stated he envisioned Hanks in the role and was happy when Darabont mentioned his name. Hanks was originally supposed to play elderly Paul Edgecomb as well, but the makeup tests did not make him look credible enough to be an elderly man. Because of this Greer was hired to play the older Edgecomb, his final film role. John Travolta was offered the role of Paul Edgecomb but turned it down.

Duncan credited his casting to Bruce Willis, with whom he had worked on the film Armageddon one year earlier. According to Duncan, Willis introduced him to Darabont after hearing of the open call for John Coffey. Basketball player Shaquille O Neal was offered the role of John Coffey but turned it down. Josh Brolin was considered for the role of William Wild Bill Wharton.

Morse had not heard about the script until he was offered the role. He stated he was in tears by the end of it. Darabont wanted Cromwell from the start, and after he read the script, Cromwell was moved and agreed.

Soundtrack

The official film soundtrack, Music from the Motion Picture The Green Mile, was released on December 19, 1999 by Warner Bros. It contains 37 tracks, primarily instrumental tracks from the film score by Thomas Newman. It also contains four vocal tracks: Cheek to Cheek by Fred Astaire, I Can t Give You Anything but Love, Baby by Billie Holiday, Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? by Gene Austin, and Charmaine by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, The Green Mile opened on December 10, 1999 in 2,875 theaters and grossed $18 million in its opening weekend, placing second at the box office, just behind Toy Story 2 with $18.2 million, however, it finished first for the week with $23.9 million compared to Toy Story 2 s $22.1 million for the week. It remained at number two in its second weekend and in the top 10 for 10 weeks but never reached number one for the weekend. It went on to gross $136.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and $150 million in other territories, bringing a worldwide total of $286.8 million, against its production budget of $60 million. It was the second highest-grosser in Japan for the year with a gross of $55.3 million.

Home media

The film was released on VHS and DVD on June 13, 2000. The film earned $17.45 million in combined DVD and VHS rental revenue by June 18, 2000. The Blu-ray was released on December 1, 2009. That version is now out of print. The 4K Blu-ray was released on February 22, 2022.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 137 reviews, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The website s critics consensus states, Though The Green Mile is long, critics say it s an absorbing, emotionally powerful experience. At Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews . Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of A on an A+ to F scale.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3+1⁄2 out of 4 stars, writing, The film is a shade over three hours long. I appreciated the extra time, which allows us to feel the passage of prison months and years … it tells a story with beginning, middle, end, vivid characters, humor, outrage and emotional release . Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum also took note of the film s length, but praised Tom Hanks superior performance and Darabont s direction. Darabont s style of picture making is well matched to King-size yarn spinning. The director isn t afraid to let big emotions and grand gestures linger , she said. San Francisco Chronicle s Edward Guthmann thought the cinematography was handsome , and the music was florid and melodramatic . He added, Darabont is such a committed filmmaker, and believes so earnestly and intensely in the stories he puts onscreen . Desson Thomson of The Washington Post called the storytelling brilliant , and said From its deceptively easygoing beginning to the heart-wrenching finale, The Green Mile keeps you wonderfully high above the cynical ground.

Conversely, some critics had a less positive response. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter opined, By inflating the simple story with a languorous pace, pregnant pauses, long reaction shots and an infinitely slow metabolism, Darabont has burdened his movie version with more self-importance than it can possibly sustain. Whilst complimenting the production design and soundtrack, the critic from Timeout magazine thought some scenes were tiresome and the film suffers from a surfeit of plot threads and characters . Writing for the BBC, Clark Collis took issue with some of the plot s unrealistic elements and thought the film was too long. David Ansen of Newsweek thought The Green Mile was weaker than Darabont s previous film, The Shawshank Redemption (1994). He stated, The Green Mile is a lumbering, self-important three-hour melodrama that defies credibility at every turn .

Accolades

Award Category Recipients Result Ref
Academy Awards Best Picture David Valdes and Frank Darabont Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Frank Darabont Nominated
Best Sound Robert J. Litt, Elliot Tyson,
Michael Herbick and Willie D. Burton
Nominated
Black Reel Awards Best Supporting Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Won
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actor – Drama Tom Hanks Won
Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama Bonnie Hunt Nominated
BMI Film & TV Awards Film Music Award Thomas Newman Won
Bram Stoker Awards Best Screenplay Frank Darabont Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Film The Green Mile Nominated
Best Screenplay, Adaptation Frank Darabont Won
Best Supporting Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Most Promising Actor Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement Frank Darabont Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Golden Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Doug Hutchison Nominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Breakthrough Male Performance Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors
(Golden Reel Awards)
Best Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR Mark A. Mangini, Julia Evershade Nominated
Best Sound Editing – Effects and Foley Mark A. Mangini, Aaron Glascock, Howell Gibbens,
David E. Stone, Solange S. Schwalbe
Nominated
People s Choice Awards Favorite All-Around Motion Picture The Green Mile Won
Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture Won
Saturn Awards Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film Won
Best Director Frank Darabont Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Won
Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Won
Best Music Thomas Newman Nominated
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
(Nebula Award)
Best Script Frank Darabont Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor
in a Supporting Role
Michael Clarke Duncan Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Cast
in a Motion Picture
The Green Mile Nominated

Year 1999
ReleaseDate 1999-12-10
RuntimeMins 189
RuntimeStr 3h 9min
Plot The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.
Awards Top rated movie #26 , Nominated for 4 Oscars, 15 wins & 37 nominations total
Directors Frank Darabont
Writers Stephen King, Frank Darabont
Stars Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse
Produced by Frank Darabont,David Valdes
Music by Thomas Newman
Cinematography by David Tattersall
Film Editing by Richard Francis-Bruce
Casting By Mali Finn
Production Design by Terence Marsh
Art Direction by William Cruse
Set Decoration by Michael Seirton
Costume Design by Karyn Wagner
Makeup Department Gary Archer,Howard Berger,Kamar Bitar,Lois Burwell,Janis Clark,Gino Crognale,Deborah La Mia Denaver,Justin Ditter,John M. Elliott Jr.,James Hall,Steve Hartman,Chiz Hasegawa,Garrett Immel,Harrison Lorenzana,Mark Maitre,Greg Nicotero,Nina Paskowitz,Ron Pipes,Brian Rae,Katherine Rees,Daniel C. Striepeke,Michealle Vanderpool,Gloria Belz,Linda Boykin-Williams,Linda Briggs,Holly Chapman,Chris Hanson,Sandy Jo Johnston,Robert Kurtzman,Alan Tuskes,Beka Wilson
Production Management Christy Dimmig,L. Dean Jones Jr.
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director David M. Bernstein,Alan B. Curtiss,Charles Gibson,Sean Hobin,L. Dean Jones Jr.,Jules Kovisars,Liz Ryan,Jodie Thomas,Basti Van Der Woude,Jonathan Watson
Art Department Michael Craig Adams,Billy Baker,John Barbera,Sheila Bartlett,Tom Benardello,Melanie S. Chretin,J. Gregory Evans,Jack Evans,Maureen Farley,Chris Fielding,Andrew P. Flores,Daniel Gilmore,Rocco J. Hindman,David Howland,Eric Karas,Beatriz Kerti,Edward F. LaLone,Kim Larsen-Santini,Ed Lee,Sasha Madzar,Merdyce McClaran,Mark McGraudy,Sebastian Milito,Mike Minor,Scott Mizgaites,Christopher Neely,Steve Perea,Natalie Pope,John Rabasca,Isidoro Raponi,Dixwell Stillman,Brandon Dale Tarpy,Summer Valdes,Kurt Verbaarschott,Pete von Sholly,Iacopo Wachter,Dianne Wager,Donald B. Woodruff,Mark Woods,John Alvin,Kinney Booker,Rick Broderman,Adolfo Castanon,Michael W. Chase,Gary J. Coelho,Thomas Cooper,Tom Craig,Michael Denering,Shiuvaun Egan,Michael Goss,Gordon McVay,C.J. Pyles,Bruce Richter,Larry Sauls,Jay Smith,Drew Struzan,Margaret A. Thigpen,Marcel Worch
Sound Department Nancy Barker,Todd Bassman,Willie D. Burton,Rick Canelli,Rickley W. Dumm,Julia Evershade,Howell Gibbens,Aaron Glascock,Richard Bryce Goodman,Robert W. Harris,Michael Herbick,Hilda Hodges,Ken J. Johnson,Randall L. Johnson,Mary Jo Lang,Marvin E. Lewis,Eric Lindemann,Robert J. Litt,Mark A. Mangini,Thomas J. O Connell,Sonny Pettijohn,John Pospisil,John Roesch,Solange S. Schwalbe,Marsha Sorce,David E. Stone,Carolyn Tapp,Elliot Tyson,Kevin Webb,Wilson Jacoud Jr.,Kate Lumpkin,Oscar Mitt,Andrew Somers
Special Effects by Hiroshi Kan Ikeuchi,Marc Irvin,Luke Khanlian,Louis Kiss,Scott Patton,Corey Pritchett,Darrell Pritchett,Jason Gustafson,Steven D. Jensen,Christine Onesky,Ron Pipes
Visual Effects by Craig Barron,Thomas Clary,Pat Conran,Michael Degtjarewsky,Krystyna Demkowicz,John Dietz,Brian Dowrick,Christopher Evans,Carl N. Frederick,Joe Gareri,Charles Gibson,Stephanie Hornish,Jiri Jacknowitz,Eileen Jensen,Nancy Kato,Bill Kroyer,Tom Lamb,Lawrence Littleton,Jodie Maier,Chad Merriam,Brett Northcutt,Khatsho John Orfali,Betsy Paterson,Ellen Poon,Bob Powell,Paul Rivera,Michael Root,Thomas Rosseter,Kenneth Smith,Todd R. Smith,David Sosalla,David Valentin,David Weitzberg,Leah Anton,Ken Bryan,Daniel Aristoteles Collins,Brandon Craig,Beth D Amato,Camille Eden,Christian Foucher,Adrian Graham,Royce Hager,Phil Holland,David Latour,Mike Leben,Paul Maples,Ian McCamey,Jim Morris,Evan A. Nesbitt,Jaime Norman,Rick O Connor,Jim Rider,George Sakellariou,Todd Sarsfield,Ellen Schade,Morgan Trotter,R.D. Wegener,Len White,Bob Wiatr
Stunts Clay Boss,Danielle Burgio,H.D. Burton,Steven Chambers,Tim A. Davison,Tommy J. Huff,Jeff Imada,Ray Lykins,Boone Narr,Kerry Rossall,Clark Tucker,Jay Caputo,Jimmy N. Roberts,Dalton Rondell
Camera and Electrical Department Gabriel Beristain,Mark Brown,Bobby Burton,Anna Castellani,Paul Cheung,Liam Clark,Alan Cohen,Scott Crabbe,James B. Crawford,David Emmerichs,Claude Fullerton,Anne Gentling,Cory Geryak,Paul Hazard,Justin Holdsworth,Beth Horton,David K. Howard,Jay M. Huntoon,Casey Jones,Charles B. Katz,Jimmy Keys,Robert LaBonge,Meera Laube,Larry Liddell,Willie Mann,Wayne Marshall,Peter McAdams,Jim McComas,Todd McMullen,Brian Mills,Ralph Nelson,Jason Newton,Randy Nolen,Michael K. O Melia,Heather Page,Les Percy,Michael C. Price,Glen Purdy,James Sobiegraj,Mike Sweeney,Mark Vargo,Donald J. Vos,H. Mark Vuille,Pete Wagner,Charles W. Wayt,Jon Yirak,Rocky Babcock,James Barrett,Khris Bennett,Robert Daniel,David Ellis,Kenneth Estes,Scott Friedland,Tim Gaylord,Jeffry Gordon,Christopher Greenwood,Erik Hecomovich,Kyle D. Hutson,Dee Nichols,Harrison Palmer,Craig Price,Ron Provenzano,Michael T. Travers,Tom Wholey,Darryl Wilson
Animation Department Michaela Zabranska,David Latour,Rick O Connor
Casting Department Barbara Harris,Charlie Messenger,Kim Petrosky,Emily Schweber,Maureen Whalen,Kim McCray,Regina Moore
Costume and Wardrobe Department Lis Bothwell,Marsha Bozeman,Paula Lynn Kaatz,Heather Pain,Patty Spinale,Gilda Texter,Vincent Lapper,Stephen K. Randolph,Kelly Anne Ross
Editorial Department Tracy Adams,Alan Edward Bell,Matt Boatright-Simon,Andrew Dickler,Toby Francis-Bruce,Mo Henry,David C. Horton Jr.,Robert C. Lusted,David Orr,Jim Schermerhorn,Jim Schulte,Keith Shaw,Jennifer Spenelli,Smith Timsawat
Location Management Edwin Dennis,Mark Ragland,Gregory H. Alpert,Kandice Billingsley,Al D. Eakes,Rory Enke,Jeremy Gould,F. Stanley Pearse Jr.
Music Department Bill Bernstein,Julian Bratolyubov,Jordan Corngold,Sandy DeCrescent,Arlene Fishbach,Tom Hardisty,David Marquette,Leslie Morris,Thomas Pasatieri,Dennis S. Sands,Joe Zimmerman,John Beal,John Beasley,Jason Bentley,Marc Bonilla,Tom Boyd,Jeff Coopwood,Mark Graham,Sean M. Hickey,Norman Ludwin,Thomas Newman,John Rodd,Dennis Sager,Steve Schaeffer,Steven L. Smith,James Thatcher
Script and Continuity Department Dea Cantu,Susan Malerstein-Watkins,Connie Papineau
Transportation Department Johnny Bartlet,Jeff Couch,Ronald Wm. Cowan,David Garris,Ben C. Giller,Dave Haldeman,Dave Hodgin Jr.,Jim Johnson,Jack Kilgore,A. Welch Lambeth,Randy Lovelady,Michael Ralph Price,Lowell D. Smith,Andy Straub,Chris McDade,Tom Moore,Molly Proctor
Additional Crew Carlton B. Adkins,E. Gloria Alvarado,Ashley M. Armitage,Kelley Baker,Kamar Bitar,Dea Cantu,Robert L. Catron,Lorraine Clarkson-Sachiko,Deborah A. Cornett,Jessica Drake,Ellen Dunn,Carrie Durose,Carrie Freedle,M. Gaye Galvin,Anna Garduno,Craig Glaser,Rossie Grose,David Guilbeau,Brett Z. Hill,Krista Jacobsen Hoey,Malcolm L. Jessup,Diane Johnson,David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick,K. Lenna Katich,Jessica Klein,Betty Linn,Ernie Malik,Amy McKenzie,Kevin McNamara,Jon William McWright,M. Gaye Melvin,Charlie Messenger,Larry Moss,Jasa Murphy,Constantine Nasr,Victoria Person,Michael Peterson,Joanne Porzio,Melissa N. Savage,Anne Scott,John Semedik,Carrie Simpson,Christopher Stringfield,Peter Weireter,Rodney Barnes,Alex Barnoya,Terrence Beasor,Jeff Coopwood,Fred Fein,Michelle Gold,Jean Hodges,John Brian King,Barrett J. Leigh,Javier López de Ayala,Blake McClure,Don Morrow,Boone Narr,Paulette Osorio
Thanks Stephen King,Robyn Smith,Don Sundquist
Genres Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Companies Castle Rock Entertainment, Darkwoods Productions, Warner Bros.
Countries USA
Languages English, French
ContentRating R
ImDbRating 8.6
ImDbRatingVotes 1281969
MetacriticRating 61
Keywords death row inmate,good versus evil,prison guard,death row,accused of murder