Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film out of 4 stars, writing, "The film is a shade over three hours long. I appreciated the extra time, which allows us to feel the passage of prison months and years ... it tells a story with beginning, middle, end, vivid characters, humor, outrage and emotional release". Writing for "Entertainment Weekly", Lisa Schwarzbaum also took note of the film's length, but praised Tom Hanks' "superior" performance and Darabont's direction. "Darabont's style of picture making is well matched to King-size yarn spinning. The director isn't afraid to let big emotions and grand gestures linger", she said. "San Francisco Chronicle"'s Edward Guthmann thought the cinematography was "handsome", and the music was "florid and melodramatic". He added, "Darabont is such a committed filmmaker, and believes so earnestly and intensely in the stories he puts onscreen". Desson Thomson of "The Washington Post" called the storytelling "brilliant", and said "From its deceptively easygoing beginning to the heart-wrenching finale, "The Green Mile" keeps you wonderfully high above the cynical ground."