The Green Mile Analysis

The Green Mile

Written and Directed by: Frank Darabont

Based on a novel by Stephen King

While watching this film, I was constantly reminded of The Shawshank Redemption. It had similar themes and storytelling, it was only later that I came to know that both the films were made by the same film maker. This film is over 3 hours long, which is not at all a problem, it needed that run time in spite of it being primarily set in a single location. It fleshed out all characters properly. But what doesn't work is, it doesn't create a sense of coming of age. In spite of the run time, the life that the old man had experienced was conveyed through dialogue like, "I have seen the death of my friends and family". He speaks about how he experienced a lot of things in life and how he keeps thinking of that day. I'd have preferred giving this part of the story some more run time to make the audience feel a sense of completeness in witnessing someone's journey. I'd have preferred watching how the character dealt with it post a decade of the event and if the film had ended conveying what the ending now is, that'd have worked as well, which is what The Shawshank Redemption does. We see Red, going in search of his friend to start a restaurant and that in itself is satisfying. We don't see where he has reached in his life and how he is doing in his old age. I haven't read the novel, but this is what I thought would've worked for the film.

The screenplay is structured in a way that it stays interesting throughout. I think it's a really well written script, because of the pacing of the sequence of events that happen. There are a lot of beats in this screenplay, like, the introduction of John, the introduction of Percy, the electrocution of the first inmate, the cure of bladder infection, embarrassment of Percy, Percy stamping the rat, Percy sabotaging Del's electrocution and so on. The events that happen in the film explore themes like masculinity, humanity and many such themes which are so good in isolation itself. When these events depicting the trajectory of each character are merged together, it forms a coherent interesting universe in spite of it just being a single location with a few men in it.

The fantasy plot was an element of interest but it wasn't explained or paid off well, and it didn't add to the emotion of the plot in anyway. The film would've been even more interesting if John's character was just another normal guy, who becomes friends with Paul and the other officers. This felt like a convenient way for him to get friends with the officers with some magical powers, otherwise that drama would've been so interesting.

The pacing of the film is at the sweet spot, it doesn't rush fearing the audience would lose attention nor hold too long where it gives us time for us to observe subtexts in shots which we miss most of the times and end up saying that the movie is boring. It has the pacing similar to the current Netflix shows where they take time and yet be compelling just because of consistent characters and good performances. I'm yet to watch Frank Darabont's other films but by these films, it is safe to say that he is quite opposite to Fincher. Ask both of them to make films on criminals, Fincher would make a Mindhunter exploring the extremes of human beings while Darabont would make films on their redemption and remorse.