Regie:
Frank DarabontDrehbuch:
Frank DarabontKamera:
David TattersallMusik:
Thomas NewmanBesetzung:
Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Barry Pepper (mehr)Streaming (5)
Inhalte(1)
Louisiana, 1935: Im Todestrakt des Cold-Mountain-Gefängnisses warten die Häftlinge auf den elektrischen Stuhl. Eines Tages wird John Coffey eingeliefert, ein Berg von einem Mann, der zwei weiße Mädchen ermordet haben soll. Bald schon erweist sich John als sanftmütiger Riese, der übernatürliche Kräfte besitzt...
Die grüne Meile – ein limonenfarbener Fußboden, der von den Todeszellen im Cold Mountain-Gefängnis in Louisiana zum elektrischen Stuhl führt. Oberste Aufsicht im Todestrakt hat der besonnene Paul Edgecomb, unterstützt wird er von seinem Team und hintergangen von dem sadistischen Aufseher Percy Wetmore. Eines Tages wird ein weiterer, zum Tode verurteilter Häftling eingeliefert: Der hünenhafte, aber geistig kindliche Schwarze John Coffey soll zwei kleine weiße Mädchen vergewaltigt und ermordet haben. Rasch erweist sich Coffey als herzensguter Mensch mit übernatürlichen Heilkräften, während der aufsässige Häftling Wild Bill ein unmenschlicher Killer ohne einen Funken Reue ist.
Aber noch weitere Insassen befinden sich im Todestrakt von Cold Mountain: So Arlen Bitterbuck, der als Erster den Tod durch den elektrischen Stuhl erleidet, sowie Del, ein schmächtiger Südstaatler, der bestialisch ums Leben kommt. Und dann ist da noch eine zahme Maus namens Mr. Jingles, die den Häftlingen einen Funken Hoffnung und einen letzten Rest Lebensfreude spendet. Als Mr. Jingles zunächst von Wetmore tot getrampelt und kurz darauf von Coffey mithilfe seiner wundersamen Kräfte wieder zurück ins Leben geholt wird, ist Edgecomb endgültig von den außergewöhnlichen Fähigkeiten des gutmütigen Riesen überzeugt. Schließlich bringt der Chefaufseher seinen Häftling zur krebskranken Frau des Gefängnisdirektors, um die im Sterben liegende Frau zu heilen. Doch zugleich naht bereits der festgelegte Zeitpunkt von Coffeys eigenem Tod...
(RTL II)
Kritiken (11)
Ob Buch oder Film, heute kann ich bereits bestätigen, dass es eigentlich egal ist. Die Geschichte von The Green Mile gehört auf das Piedestal der besten, die je erschienen sind. Was im über 3 Stunden langen Marathon zusätzlich ist, ist ein extrem starkes Line-Up an Meistern der Nebenrollen, unter denen selbst die Starpower von Tom Hanks leicht in den Schatten gestellt wird. Ein weiterer Bonus ist auch die brillante musikalische Untermalung von Thomas Newman und auch die leicht geänderte Darstellung im Vergleich zur literarischen Vorlage, wo viel mehr druck aufgebaut wird. Im Endeffekt ist somit Kings Roman fast wie ein Märchen. Obwohl sehr dunkel und erwachsen, ist es dennoch universell genug, dass selbst ein neunjähriger Junge, dessen Eltern ihn zum ersten Mal in seinem Leben nach Mitternacht Fern schauen ließen, er es vollständig genießen kann.
()
Darabont stepped into the same river for the second time. After The Shawshank Redemption he made another film with a prison setting, and again based on a Stephen King novel. And again great. Not, great, brilliant! When I walked out of the cinema, I was like drunk. At home, I was jumping up and down with delight that I had seen the best film of my life. Now, in hindsight, my emotions have cooled, but I definitely rank The Green Mile among the most remarkable films of recent years.
()
Paul Edgecomb meets John Coffey and I have no idea that the most painful film I have ever seen awaits me. Unbelievable power throughout the entire running time and a climax that I watched in awe, unable to catch my breath. There are not many films that have touched me more deeply, and yet I'm not sure if I could emotionally handle a second viewing. Every actor's performance is extraordinary, and another brilliant film by Frank Darabont that surpasses even the emotionally escalating source material by Stephen King.
()
I consider The Green Mile one of the most beautiful dramas I've ever seen. It is guaranteed to make me cry and thrill me every time. The prison theme is really thin ice, it's just that Frank Darabont knows it like nobody else and prefers quality over quantity. The cast is also impeccable! A wonderful film that everyone must see.
()
Stephen King is a genius. Frank Darabont is a genius. And whenever these two get together a perfect work of art comes to life that remains indelibly in the souls of those who see it. Similarly to The Shawshank Redemption, the story takes place in prison, more precisely in The Green Mile where those who were sentenced to death await execution. At the beginning of the story we meet old Paul Edgecombe who remembers the days of his youth and one of the prisoners. A person who had a wonderful gift. John Coffey (like coffee but spelled differently). And we become witnesses to one of the most touching story of all times.
()
Michael Mann has "Time is luck," Tom Hanks has "Earn it." Within the span of two years, Hanks starred in two similarly phenomenal films where the setting plays second fiddle, because the main role was a well-lived life. However, while in Saving Private Ryan he plays the rescuer, in The Green Mile he is the one being rescued. Frank Darabont has a masterful ability to work with emotions, doing so in a simple and understandable way (with music, editing and directing actors), yet it is not simplistic or overly sentimental with a carpet bombing approach towards the viewers. The film is full of nuances and grand gestures, from which everyone can take what they personally prefer.
()
The Green Mile made an even stronger impression on me (forgive the conventional comparison) than Shawshank when I first watched it. Gradually, though, the roles have reversed significantly, and it emerges that the former title represents filmmaking conducted on a much simpler narrative basis, which at times applies pure emotional cynicism far more forcefully and ostentatiously than the more subtly constructed and poetic Shawshank. Yet words are inadequate to describe how much I admire and love this film, its "absorbing" narrative concept, the performances, its dramatic timing and its ideas. Darabont again leads the attention in a minimalist way, enclosing his actors for three hours in a fictional world where, despite the strict rules and the depressing aura of inevitable death, he defines a precise space for conflict, hatred and fear, but also hope, friendship and humour, and by constantly changing moods depending on the presence of a particular character and gradually tightening the screws on the reveal of the main mystery, the director establishes one of the most complex emotional experiences in the history of cinema. If you want to experience films and draw inspiration from them, The Green Mile will suck you in, move you to tears and show you that even in the least joyful places, where the minutes drag on and life seemingly has no meaning, it pays to be a good person. Miracles really do happen, not only John Coffey but Frank Darabont in particular is proof of that; )
()
This is a kitsch tear-jerker that relentlessly and mercilessly tortures the audience for over three hours with its relentless pursuit of maximum pathos. It uses New Testament parables, miracles, the supernatural, compassionate glances, and spares no expense with the large number and intensity of its clichéd characters. A miracle happened to me, too, and it was that I somehow endured the three hour running time, but only just. In retrospect, I can not help but marvel at how anyone could be moved by such a matchless piece of trash, let alone how it could be so massively popular... I understand that lovers of severely kitsch tear-jerkers may find something to like here, but for me, it rather reaffirms, again and again, that the adaptations of King's books, with the exception of The Shawshank Redemption, do nothing for me. For the performances of Hanks and Duncan I give 1 star, a higher rating is out of the question as I can not think of anything constructive.
()
Frank Darabont is a common emotional blackmailer. To his credit, though, he certainly knows how to make the viewer use their handkerchiefs. I have to admit that during some scenes even a cynic like me blinked with a little more frequency than usual and that alone deserves recognition. Admittedly, here he mostly attacked my fixation on little rodents, and with this and more he succeeded in keeping me from being able to tear my eyes from the screen for the entire 188 minutes. However, the film does have a few, though perhaps not so pronounced, weaknesses. First of all, one can't help but compare it to The Shawshank Redemption (also by Darabont), compared to which it stands out for the lack of an absolutely clear separation between the black and white sides. The young guard, Percy, has absolutely no positive side and is simply a rotten swine from start to finish until it starts to feel unrealistic. On the other hand, the characters of Tom Hanks, his friends, or John Coffey (like coffee, only spelled differently) are paper-positive heroes from start to finish, good to watch and root for, but they’re missing a little dimension. But whatever, screw it. What movie holds its viewer's complete attention and rushes by like water with a running time longer than three hours? Definitely a timeless work.
()
A film that will lead you to deep questions and literally unravel your emotional depth. From the unique beauty of the human character to the bitterness of injustice and the ticking hands on the clock that represent the greatest existential fear ever.
()
How The Green Mile could have eluded me for so long is truly beyond me. Frank Darabont is indeed a master of prison films. He always directs in such an engaging way that the result deeply captivates the viewer, and it’s almost impossible to find any flaw in it. Compared to The Shawshank Redemption, this film hit me more emotionally, as the story is an incredibly strong dose of intense moments that affect you like few other films. Tom Hanks confirmed his place in the acting elite, and the supporting cast also shone, especially Sam Rockwell, who thoroughly enjoyed his role as a wonderfully slimy bastard. And of course, Michael Clarke Duncan... whenever he was at the center of the action on screen and started a dialogue with Hanks, those were the moments that made this film so successful with audiences. Darabont knows how to skillfully work with characters and their dialogues, making the script one of the most elaborate aspects of The Green Mile. I suppose it’s time to consider reading the King novel, as I believe such a well-crafted film must have been based on a similarly high-quality source material. I give it 93%.
()
Werbung