Story Overview

The Green Mile unfolds as an intimate recollection shared by elderly Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) with his friend Elaine Connelly (Eve Brent). Paul revisits his years as a correctional officer at Cold Mountain Penitentiary, a place where condemned inmates walked their final steps along the prison corridor known as the Green Mile, leading to the electric chair. These memories are filled with moments that would leave an indelible mark on his conscience and his understanding of humanity.

Throughout his service, Edgecomb escorted countless death row prisoners, yet none affected him as profoundly as John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan). A towering man convicted of the brutal murder of two young girls, Coffey appears terrifying at first glance. However, beneath his imposing exterior lies a gentle, fragile, and deeply empathetic soul. As Paul begins to interact with him, he discovers that Coffey possesses mysterious supernatural abilities that defy logic and challenge everything Paul believes about justice, guilt, and mercy.

As their bond deepens, Paul is forced to confront the possibility that the man condemned to die may be innocent. This realization transforms the Green Mile into more than just a passage to death—it becomes a moral crossroads where faith, compassion, and the burden of authority collide. The story gradually reveals itself as a haunting meditation on cruelty, miracles, and the heavy price of witnessing both.