History YMMV / TheGreenMile

* UnfortunateImplications: [[http://www.nicksflickpicks.com/greenmil.html Nick's Flick Picks gives]] the film a D-, not because of the acting or film making -- which he admits are fine -- but because the film doesn't seem aware of the problem with a story set in the 1930s South, in which an innocent black man is shuttled around to absorb the pain of white people before being executed as a mercy. A mercy for the pain he feels. That he absorbed from white people.
** Which is a misinterpretation, as the pain that Coffey was suffering was caused by his power to feel the pain of ''everyone all over the world'', not just from what he absorbed, and not just for white people. Also, Paul goes his entire life believing that executing Coffey was [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone his greatest sin]], even though Coffey wanted it. The review also neglects the film's source material (the novellas), and blames these implications on [[MisBlamed the filmmakers instead of Stephen King]].

** Graham Greene has only one major scene lasting slightly over a minute, but he gives a wrenching monologue that's one of the most moving things in an already very sad movie.

** Which is a misinterpretation, as the pain that Coffey was suffering was caused by his power to feel the pain of ''everyone all over the world'', not just from what he absorbed, and not just for white people. Also, Paul goes his entire life believing that executing Coffey was [[MyGodWhatIHaveDone his greatest sin]], even though Coffey wanted it. The review also neglects the film's source material (the novellas), and blames these implications on [[MisBlamed the filmmakers instead of Stephen King]].

** John Coffey made [[spoiler: Mr Jingles a near-immortal by mouse standards]] in an accident, and [[spoiler: quite generously extended Paul's life so much that he's quite fit for a 108-year old man (hell, he's a lot more healthier than even an average ''eighty year old'' person)]]. [[TimeAbyss How old is]] [[ReallySevenHundreadYearsOld John exactly]]?]] How much of the world's events was he personally witness to? [[spoiler: Possibly why John just goes along with them arresting and sentencing him for execution, as he has grown terribly tired from living very long in this world.]]

* FridgeHorror: If John Coffey's statement, he can feel the ugliness the world over is intended to be taken literally, he can feel [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler something very ugly going on in 1935 Germany]]. To say nothing of [[UsefulNotes/JosefStalin Stalin]]'s Russia, and the Empire of Japan's conquest of the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Or he just feels it [[HumansAreBastards constantly]].

** Which is a misinterpretation, as the pain that Coffey was suffering was caused by his power to feel the pain of ''everyone all over the world'', not just from what he absorbed. Also, Paul goes his entire life believing that executing Coffey was his greatest sin, even though Coffey wanted it. The review also neglects the film's source material (the novellas), and blames these implications on the filmmakers instead of Stephen King.

** John Coffey. He feels that he lives in a world that is full of too much pain and suffering. As such, he considers his inevitable execution to be a MercyKill.

* AlasPoorScrappy: While Percy was a Grade-A asshole, it’s hard not to at least slightly pity his ultimate fate.

** Creator/GarySinise is only in one scene, but the [[Film/ForrestGump obvious]] [[Film/{{Apollo13}} connections]] with Tom Hanks put him in the trailer. His cameo was also in reference to being in ''Film/TheStand'', another Creator/StephenKing Adaptation.

** Which is a misinterpretation, as the pain that Coffey was suffering was caused by his power to feel the pain of ''everyone all over the world'', not just from what he absorbed. Also, Paul goes his entire life believing that executing Coffey was his greatest sin, even though Coffey wanted it. The review also neglects the film's source material (the novellas), and blames these implications on the filmmakers instead of Steven King.

** Which is a misinterpretation, as the pain that Coffey was suffering was caused by his power to feel the pain of ''everyone all over the world'', not just the from what he absorbed. Also, Paul goes his entire life believing that executing Coffey was his greatest sin, even though Coffey wanted it. The review also neglects the film's source material (the novellas), and blames these implications on the filmmakers instead of Steven King.

* UnfortunateImplications: [[http://www.nicksflickpicks.com/greenmil.html Nick's Flick Picks gives]] the film a D-, not because of the acting or film making -- which he admits are fine -- but because the film doesn't seem aware of the problem with a story set in the 1930s South, in which an innocent black man is shuttled around to absorb the pain of white people before being executed as a mercy. A mercy for the pain he feels. That he absorbed from white people. Which is a misinterpretation, as the pain that Coffey was suffering was caused by his power to feel the pain of ''everyone all over the world'', not just the from what he absorbed. Also, Paul goes his entire life believing that executing Coffey was his greatest sin, even though Coffey wanted it.

* UnfortunateImplications: [[http://www.nicksflickpicks.com/greenmil.html Nick's Flick Picks gives]] the film a D-, not because of the acting or film making -- which he admits are fine -- but because the film doesn't seem aware of the problem with a story set in the 1930s South, in which an innocent black man is shuttled around to absorb the pain of white people before being executed as a mercy. A mercy for the pain he feels. That he absorbed from white people. Considering how Paul looks at the execution of Coffey as his greatest sin (even though it was what Coffey wanted), and the guards only took him to help one person, this interpretation was clearly not the intention, and the implication is slim.

* UnfortunateImplications: [[http://www.nicksflickpicks.com/greenmil.html Nick's Flick Picks gives]] the film a D-, not because of the acting or film making -- which he admits are fine -- but because the film doesn't seem aware of the problem with a story set in the 1930s South, in which an innocent black man is shuttled around to absorb the pain of white people before being executed as a mercy. A mercy for the pain he feels. That he absorbed from white people.

** While Harry Dean Stanton does show up for some other scenes, he only has any real lines in [[LargeHam one scene]], which ends up being a major Crowning Moment of Funny.

*** Del is slightly more Woobie-ish in the book. As well as the main event, King also describes the minutes before Del's execution. [[spoiler:He hugs Brother Schuster, the priest, who agreed to pray with him in Cajun French. While Del cries throughout the prayer, he's also visibly comforted and by the end, feels that he's right with God. Despite the horrific crime he committed, Del is still (well, [[CaptainObvious YMMV]]) one of the more likable characters.]]

%%* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory

** The look of absolute horror on Percy's face after Coffey pushes the "disease" into his mouth, and the tear that rolls down his face just before he shoots Wharton could theoretically indicate that, rather than John forcing him to shoot Wharton, Coffey used the contact to show Percy everything Wharton had done. Percy, a small, sniveling, vicious, cowardly man was so broken by seeing true evil that he not only had to seek immediate retribution on Wharton, but spent the rest of his life catatonic from sorrow at just how evil the real bad guys could be. Look at his face during Del's execution. Can he not watch it because of how gruesome it is, or because he honestly didn't think it would be that bad and was having a "MyGodWhatHaveIDone" moment?

* AssholeVictim: Delacroix. While his death was indeed gruesome and drawn-out, he did brutally rape and murder a young girl. Further, several other people died in the fire he started in an attempt to cover up his previous crime.

* CompleteMonster: [[AxCrazy William "Wild Bill" Wharton]] is a PsychopathicManchild awaiting execution at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary for murdering three people in an armed robbery, one of whom was a pregnant woman. When he first appears in the prison he manages to convince the guards he's in a drugged stupor, only to attempt to strangle Dean Stanton to death when his guard was down. Failing in that, Wild Bill contents himself with causing as much mischief as he can before his eventual execution. Eventually it comes to light that Wild Bill's worst known crime was the [[WouldHurtAChild rape and murder of the two little girls]] that John Coffey is accused of killing. In order to stop the girls from calling for help, he told them that if one of them screams, [[IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure it's her sister that he'd kill.]]

** The other guards' protectiveness of the inmates, to the point of borderline contempt of anyone wanting to punish them for their crimes. Do they possess so out of a unflappable belief in redemption and forgiveness, or are they desperate men willing to enable murderers just to soften their lonely, miserable jobs? Similarly are the people they ''are'' willing to PayEvilUntoEvil before because they ''don't'' show the same remorse, or simply because they harmed [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality people they cared about]], compared to the anonymous strangers harmed by the inmates they befriend (as observed when Paul's view of Wild Bill alters completely after seeing his actions Coffey's vision). Or perhaps they're treating them softly because if they tried to treat them harshly, they might crack and kill ''them''?

** The other guards protectiveness of the inmates, to the point of borderline contempt of anyone wanting to punish them for their crimes. Do they possess so out of a unflappable belief in redemption and forgiveness, or are they desperate men willing to enable murderers just to soften their lonely, miserable jobs? Similarly are the people they ''are'' willing to PayEvilUntoEvil before because they ''don't'' show the same remorse, or simply because they harmed [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality people they cared about]], compared to the anonymous strangers harmed by the inmates they befriend (as observed when Paul's view of Wild Bill alters completely after seeing his actions Coffey's vision). Or perhaps they're treating them softly because if they tried to treat them harshly, they might crack and kill ''them''?

** Graham Greene has only one major scene as Arlen Bitterbuck, but he gives a wrenching monologue that's one of the most moving things in an already very sad movie.

** What Wild Bill did to the two girls, physically and emotionally. ("If you make noise, [[IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure it's your sister I kill, not you.]]")

* HeReallyCanAct: Portraying John Coffey showed the world just how much range Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan was capable of.

* AssholeVictim: Delacroix. While his death was indeed gruesome and drawn-out, he did brutally rape and murder a young girl. Further, several other people died in the fire he started in an attempt to cover up his previous crime.

** Gary Sinise is only in one scene, but the [[Film/ForrestGump obvious]] [[Film/{{Apollo13}} connections]] with Tom Hanks put him in the trailer. His cameo was also in reference to being in ''Film/TheStand'', another Creator/StephenKing Adaptation.