A Masterpiece of Cinematic Art -- Captivating and Reverent

This expertly mixes film genres: It's part prison flick, part supernatural mystery and part drama. It was adapted from Stephen King's novel by director/writer Frank Darabont. If you're not an admirer of Stephen King books/films (I'm not, although I like some of his movies), don't let that deter you from viewing this beautiful and spiritually-profound film; it's by no means a typical horror story, although it does have a couple of horrific scenes.

Running 3-hours, it's over my limited attention span, and yet it's somehow utterly engrossing, even on repeat viewings. It's character/dialogue driven, unique and unpredictable. Don't mistake this for a run-of-the-mill prison flick. The fact that it largely takes place in a prison in the 1930s is a secondary issue. This is a powerful supernatural mystery/drama.

SPOILER ALERT (Don't read further unless you've seen the film)

John Coffey's last name is, evidently, derived from an ancient Sumerian word, kophi, which means "winged creature." Hence, John could be viewed as a angel or messenger from the Almighty. Actually, John is a type of Jesus Christ verified in six ways:

1. His initials are J.C.
2. He's good-hearted and can easily recognize true evil.
3. He miraculously heals people.
4. He pronounces and executes divine judgment.
5. He is sacrificed even though completely innocent.
6. He offers eternal life (in a sense), as evidenced by the extended life-spans of the Hanks character and "Mr. Jingles."