There are almost fifty films and television movies based on works by Stephen King (including sequels). Yet only a tiny percentage of these films is worth your time. Carrie, Stand By Me, and The Shining come to mind. And then there's The Shawshank Redemption, adapted and directed by Frank Darabont in 1994 from King's short novel, and since that time, a film that has become a modern classic, almost unequivocally loved by everyone I know. And rightfully so, it is a contemporary masterpiece.

Now Darabont follows his debut effort with another Stephen King prison drama. The Green Mile was released as a six-part serial novel by King in 1996. Darabont's adaptation is again an undeniably moving film, and is highly recommended. If it doesn't quite evoke the emotional resonance of The Shawshank Redemption, it is nonetheless quite worthwhile.

The Green Mile takes place during the Depression, and focuses almost entirely on a prison's death-row block. Referred to as the Green Mile, this block is supervised by a kindly guard, Paul Edgecomb, who is played by film's most popular "good guy," Tom Hanks. Edgecomb is supported by a motley collection of guards, most of these also sympathetic, with one notable exception (see below).

One day a new prisoner arrives on the Mile, a monstrous inmate named John Coffey, sentenced to die for the rape and murder of two young girls. You may recognize Michael Duncan, the gargantuan actor playing Coffey, as Bear from the mindless Armaggedon. The first hour or so of the film takes its time to set up the characters and their unique personalities. For instance, we learn that Percy Whetmore (Doug Hutchinson) is a belligerent guard who suffers from a case of Napoleonic complex so severe that he often performs mindless acts of violence on the inmates without any thought towards the consequences of his actions. Tom Hanks' character suffers from a severe urinary infection that will make all the men in the audience cringe with pain. And we learn more about the various inmates, guards, and even the prison warden (James Cromwell) and his terminally-ill wife.

But one day, something odd happens. Hanks continues to suffer horribly from his urinary infection. Coffey, hearing Hanks writhe in agony, offers to help. As Hanks approaches Coffey's cell, Coffey grabs him and places his hand directly over the suffering crotch. I will say no more about this or the rest of the plot, except to point out that the film takes a unique and spiritual turn that pushes the story in an unexpected direction (well, unexpected for those who haven't read the book).

The Green Mile is a successful film. This can be attributed to many reasons, not the least of which is the quality cast, led by Hanks but by no means dominated by him. Everyone is effective, from Duncan's sympathetic Coffey to David Morse's easy turn as Hanks' second-in-command guard. I was especially impressed by Sam Rockwell as "Wild Bill" Wharton, a particularly violent and deceitful inmate.

But the main reason The Green Mile works is the exact same reason screenwriter-director Darabont scored so highly with The Shawshank Redemption: he stays faithful to the Stephen King book upon which this film is based. Darabont shows almost a reverence for the source work. And the novel The Green Mile worked very well on its own. One result of this faithfulness is the film is very long, over three hours. I've read many complaints about this from critics, but heard almost none from those I saw it with. It is a long, slow-moving film, but for the most part, it is correct to take its time. Otherwise you would be short-changing the characters from King's novel and ultimately diluting its emotional effect.

Unavoidably, many will try to stack this film next to Darabont's previous work, The Shawshank Redemption. That film, which deserved to win the Best Picture Oscar in a weak year which somehow saw Forrest Gump taking the prize, has since become a classic. Now, perhaps as an acknowledgement of that injustice, the hype has already built for The Green Mile to win the big prize. Should it? Not really, not in the strongest year for quality adult films in recent memory. While extremely moving, it still lacks the gut emotional pull of The Shawshank Redemption. That film's ending was a surprise to most viewing it the first time, while The Green Mile builds inevitably to its emotional conclusion. At times it becomes maudlin, though recovers admirably. But this isn't Darabont's doing, it is because this film follows the source so closely, maudlin shortcomings and all.

All in all, don't listen to hype or succumb to unfair comparisons. The Green Mile may not be a great film, but it is a very good one which deserves to be seen.