Why I’ll Never Watch “The Green Mile” Again

I was asked why “The Green Mile” is a beloved movie I’ll never watch again. OK, I’ll go there.

There are two tropes that King uses: the “magical” and “sacrificial” Negro images: a solitary black character who gives his life to ennoble (and sexualize) a white character. But in the book, the title represents life itself, a “Green Mile” that none of us survive. Fine. I rolled with that. But there is a major difference between book and film.

In the book, Tom Hanks’ guard SUSPECTS that John Coffey might be innocent, and tries very hard…