Green Mile, The

In director Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s gothic hokum, the quiet, easy camaraderie of four humane guards (Tom Hanks, David Morse, Jeffrey DeMunn and Barry Pepper) working a 1935 Louisiana death row is a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, most of The Green Mile's 182 pokey, ponderous minutes are devoted to King’s amateurish attempt at a Christ allegory, featuring mammoth black goody two-ton shoes John Coffey (Michael Duncan) as a condemned J.C. King’s black Jesus heals a couple of white folks, resurrects a mouse, and then takes a seat in the electric chair—willingly, so the white boys don’t have to feel no guilt. We never learn a real thing about him—he’s a symbol, not a person—as Darabont considers it more important to offer up endless static closeups of Hanks’ piggy eyes and puffy doughboy face.