Reel Critics

Hanks is superb

Florence Ricchiazzi of Glendale is an administrative assistant at

Glendale Community College.

Another superb acting job from Tom Hanks, the ‘Boss’ of Cell Block E,

death row, in ‘The Green Mile.’ John Coffey is a new inmate who is as

gentle as he is big. John has strange magical healing powers. He heals

Hanks’ character’s urinary infection, revives a dead mouse and makes a

brain tumor leave a sick women’s body. But there is more to this movie

than John Coffey. It is about death row and the people on it. About the

prison guards who have real feelings and who allow their prisoners to die

with dignity and compassion. The couple of electrocutions shown are very,

very gruesome but all necessary in telling of the story. This three-hour

movie moves very quickly and with one of the best casts ever assembled

for a movie this is a must see.

Faithfully follow the book

Charlie Bauman of Glendale is a janitor at a Glendale printing

company.

“The Green Mile” faithfully shows the vision of Stephen King’s novel

of the same name. I read the book and can say that the movie’s images are

quite similar to those the book conjured up in my head. This is a good

thing, because the book was a great read. King can draw you into a story

like few other writers can. The movie has the same pace and feel of the

book. This can be attributed to superb direction.

Making the director’s job easier was an excellent cast, especially Tom

Hanks as the head guard of death row.