The Green Miles is an American drama film directed by Frank Darabont and based on the 1996 Stephen King novel of the same name. The film follows the story of Paul Edgecomb and his life as a prison officer on Death Role during the Great Depression. One day, an African-American prisoner named John Coffey arrives on death role charged for raping and murdering two white young girls. Although John is a gigantic muscular man, he has the mindset of a small child and demonstrates attributes of being developmentally challenged. John often cries, keeps to himself, and fears darkness. When John was brought to his cell, he does not mention his crime, but continually emphasizes that he “tried to take it back, but it was too late”.
As the movie progresses, it is revealed that John has extraordinary powers. One day when all the other officers were gone, John asks to speak to Paul. When Paul moves toward John’s cell, John grabs Paul and puts his hand over Paul’s groin. The light suddenly flares brightly, and John lets go coughing and gasping until he releases a cloud of spores from his mouth. Paul demanded to know what happened, but John only say that he helped. When Paul goes to the restroom, he realizes that his urinary infection was cured by John’s act. Later on in the movie, John also resurrects Del’s pet mouse Mr. Jingles, and heals Warden’s terminally ill wife.
At the same time, a new guard named Percy Wetmore starts to work at John’s prison domain. He is a sadistic and is very unpopular among other guards. Percy sabotages Del’s execution on purpose to avenge for the humiliation that he received earlier on in the movie. Instead of wetting the sponge so that electricity can be conduced quickly, Percy purposely leaves it dry, causing Del’s execution to go horribly painful and wrong.
Shortly after the execution of Del, a new prisoner named William “Wild Bill” Wharton arrives at the prison. He is a violent prisoner due to be executed for murdering three people in a robbery. One night, Paul drugs Wharton in order to sneak John out of the prison to heal Warden’s wife. However, Wharton wakes and seizes John’s arm. When Wharton touches John, John senses a horrific flashback, realizing that Wharton is the true murderer of the two young girls, the crime for which John was convicted. John places his hand on Paul and offers to let Paul see what really happened to the girls.
After finding out what happened, Paul asks John what he should do, and even asks John if he wants to leave secretly. John, however, does not want to escape because he is too sensitive to people’s pain, stating that he is tired and is ready to rest. Paul offers John a last request, whereby John requests to see a movie. Paul and his co-workers brings a projector and plays the film “Top Hat”, the same movie that the elderly Paul was watching at the start of the movie. That night, John is put to the electric chair. He tells Paul that he does not want the black hood over his head because he is afraid of darkness. Paul agrees and John is executed while the guards watch in tears.