The Green Mile - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Green Mile



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
Maybe because I didn’t see The Shawshank Redemption until this year (I’m sorry, please don’t throw bottles at me), or maybe it’s just my tastes, but I never saw The Green Mile as the “sequel knock off” as many others seemed to over the years. I’ve always heard how amazing The Shawhshank Redemption was, and how The Green Mile was a good (but pale) imitation. Well, I’ve always loved The Green Mile and after comparing back to back, I have to say that Frank Darabont made it NEARLY as good as his 1994 smash hit that was Shawshank. It’s a sweet tale that’s incredibly acted by all involved, and even though it does push that 3+ hour time limit, is still an EVENT to watch rather than simply an enjoyable movie.

Based off of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Green Mile is based upon an event happening at Louisiana’s Cold Mountain death row penitentiary. Tom Hanks is Paul Edgecomb, a decent and humane correctional officer who tries to treat even his death row inmates with a modicum of respect. As he says, these are dead men walking and deserve to be treated with a little dignity. He’s got life pretty figured out, and his routine is one of predictability, until a new prisoner is brought on board in the form of John Coffey (played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan). John is a 7 foot monster of a man with the muscles to terrify even the most stalwart of men. Accused of raping two little white girls, John is thrown into the hole and convicted of death row without nary a hint of friction.

The only thing is, Coffey’s personality and demeanor doesn’t fit that of the cold hearted rapist and murderer that he’s been labeled as. In fact, he’s a simple man with the mentality and kindness of a child. He’s the kind of character that instantly earns your sympathy (definitely by design) by being afraid of the dark and his meek demeanor instantly endears himself to you. Edgecomb and the rest of the staff soon come to realize that Coffey is more than just wrongfully accused, he’s a miracle in disguise. Mysteriously he’s able to cure Edgecomb’s UTI, cure a tumor in the brain, and even resurrect a dead mouse stomped upon by a sadistic guard.

The film is part dramatic prison story ala The Shawshank Redemption, and part allegorical supernatural film. Being that this is Stephen King based some supernatural elements are to be expected, but it’s done in such a sweet and endearing way that it’s hard to fault the film for delving into that arena instead of keeping it strictly a morality play. Coffey himself is a stark contrast to Doug Hutchison’s sadistic guard (who has a disturbing fascination with the electric chamber), and the two act as counter weights for the film’s sense of morality. It’s obvious from the get go that Coffey is a wrongfully accused man. The film doesn’t even try to hide that fact from the first moment that Coffey is dropped off in prison Darabont endears you to him. But what truly makes the film special is how well Michael Clarke Duncan PLAYS his role as the afore mentioned death row inmate. He plays his character to a spectacular T, and by the end of the movie if you’re not crying, then you’re a very special individual.

I will admit that the story can be a bit more cloying than Darabont’s other works, but that’s also a part of the original serialized novel as well. It’s a morality play wrapped into a supernatural prison veneer and acted out by an incredible ensemble cast including James Cromwell, William Sadler, Barry Pepper, Sam Rockwell, David Morse, Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, and even Harry Dean Stanton. All in all, this one hits me in the feels every time I watch it, and proves that Darabont’s early works were really his best.




Rating:

Rated R for violence, language and some sex-related material




4K Video: Video:

Warner’s Blu-ray was always a very mediocre affair, with DNR and smoothing going on that made it a very bland experience. I’ve had the digibook for ages and I can say without a doubt that this is a MASSIVE upgrade over the old disc. Although it has some supernatural elements, the imagery is real and crisp and clean. The heavy stone like color to the prison blended with green tinges make this is brutally visceral picture, and one that is interjected with honey like lights and incredibly detailed facial tones clarity. You can see every drop of sweat dropping down Barry Pepper’s face, every crease in Hanks face, and every pore and stone notch in the rough hewn prison walls. The film grain is light and tight, showing a lovely texture. Shadow detail is massively improved in this new disc, as the old one would just lose all detail into the smeared backgrounds. This time you can actually see what’s going on in the dark when Coffey is seated into the back of his cell, or as Mr. Jingles slips under into the shadows.

The use of HDR is impeccable, allowing the already unique color grading of the film to really pop here. Bursts of light from bulbs and lamps don’t halo out of control this time, and the flecks of color that permeate the dingy prison really do pop off the screen and stand out as something special, vs. just blending in. The “magic hour” moments really shine with that gleaming glow that sort of blankets the entire image, and yet we still aren’t plagued by excessive banding. Great looking transfer.



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Audio:

The Dolby Atmos track is a superb as well, offering us a slightly more nuanced version of the 5.1 mix that we’ve had all these years. I’m usually critical of not offering the 5.1 mix when an Atmos mix is present, but in all honesty I’d be hard pressed to go back to the 5.1 mix after this. Supposedly taken from the original stems, this mix is just that much better and not in a flashy or massively changed way. It’s just lighter and airier, with distinct panning effects with the stone prison walls that really make it a great listening experience. Dialog is crisp and clean, located up front where you would expect it up front like the previous mix, but if you notice the effects and surrounds seem much better balanced. Things like the thunder crashes off in the distance when Paul is taking a walk. Before it would just slam from all directions. Now you can actually hear it roll overhead and back over year naturally. The same goes for some of the yells and echoes in the prison. It used to be that you just hear those yells come from the surrounds or from the mains, but you can actually pinpoint directions here, and some yells will come from one side of the room, and sometimes from another. Bass is tight and clean and not super enhanced, but it’s always been fairly minimalistic except for instances of thunder or a few cell doors crashing. Again, I would have loved to have the theatrical mix present, but this Atmos track is really a treat to listen to.











Extras:

• Audio commentary by Frank Darabont
• Additional scenes
• Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile - Documentary
• Miracles and Mystery: Creating The Green Mile - Featurette Gallery
• Tom Hanks Make Up Tests
• Michael Clark Duncan Test
• The Teaser Trailer: A Case Study
• Theatrical Trailers

Final Score:
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The Green Mile is one of my favorite feel good films of all times, and still holds up today. Yes, I can see some of the emotionally manipulative portions of the film’s script, but this is such an incredibly acted film that those elements are easily looked over. It’s a 3 hour film that just zips by, and with the addition of the new master for the film and the Atmos tracks, makes this a must upgrade over the mediocre ancient Blu-ray.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, James Cromwell, William Sadler, Doug Hutchison, Graham Greene, Sam Rockwell
Directed by: Frank Darabont
Written by: Frank Darabont, Stephen King (Novel)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, German, French (Canadian), Italian, Spanish DD 5.1, Spanish DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Norwegian, Swedish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: R
Runtime: 189 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 22nd, 2022

Recommendation: Must Buy

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I agree, this is a great movie to own.. I thought Michael Clarke Duncan was the true star of this movie. He was excellent.