History YMMV / TheGreenMile

** 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]] [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 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.]]

* CompleteMonster: [[PsychopathicManchild William "Wild Bill" Wharton]] is 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 is 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]] who John Coffey was 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]].

* CompleteMonster: [[PsychopathicManchild William "Wild Bill" Wharton]] is 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 is 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]] who John Coffrey was 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]].

** 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]] [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 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.]]

** There are still people who can watch this movie and not [[RetroactiveRecognition recognize]] Creator/SamRockwell as Wild Bill, because that's how well he plays a filthy, obnoxious, sex-crazed [[spoiler: rapist-murderer.]]
* HilariousInHindsight: Doug Hutchinson's Percy Wetmore is last seen [[spoiler:being transferred to the mental institution he wanted to work in, whilst catatonic]]. Much later on, another one of Doug's roles, [[Film/PunisherWarZone Loony Bin Jim]], is introduced very similarly, though in that case he was [[spoiler:housed in a BedlamAsylum]].

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: Percy, a mere Jerkass and bully whose worst crime is sabotaging the execution of a prisoner who was going to die anyways, is far more despised by the fans than Wild Bill, who's a [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain racist]] SerialKiller and a [[spoiler: SerialRapist, entirely of children]].

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

** 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 ''Series/TheStand'', another Creator/StephenKing adaptation.

** {{Creator/Graham Greene|Actor}} 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.

** John Coffey. He feels that he lives in a world that is full of too much pain and suffering, [[spoiler: and is perhaps the true ageless person in this movie]]. As such, he considers his inevitable execution to be a MercyKill.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Both Delacroix and Percy are often treated this way with mutual exclusivity in comments either overlooking the very legitimate reasons the former was sentenced to death to begin with, or using said reasons to excuse the latter's blatant cruelty, respectively.

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: Percy is far more despised by the fans than Wild Bill, who's a murder and a [[spoiler:child rapist]].

* AwardSnub: It was nominated for Best Picture, but Frank Darabont wasn't up for Best Director.

** Subverted with Delacroix, as, after all, there was a reason he was sentenced to the chair. But no doubt he regretted what he did, and how he died was, to say the least, excessive. [[spoiler:Even if it qualified as LaserGuidedKarma; he was an arsonist and rapist-murderer, and ''burned to death'' in the chair. In the novel, one of the guards even comments that when other townspeople hear of the botched execution, instead of being horrified they'll all wish they'd been there to see it.]]
*** 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 one of the more likable characters.]]

** Subverted with Delacroix, as, after all, there was a reason he was sentenced to the chair. But no doubt he regretted what he did, and how he died was, to say the least, excessive. [[spoiler:Even if it qualified as LaserGuidedKarma; he was an arsonist and murderer, and ''burned to death'' in the chair. In the novel, one of the guards even comments that when other townspeople hear of the botched execution, instead of being horrified they'll all wish they'd been there to see it.]]

* LoveToHate: Wild Bill is [[CompleteMonster shit]]-[[PsychopathicManchild tier]] [[DepravedBisexual human]] [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain being]], but his [[Creator/SamRockwell actor]] is just such a [[LaughablyEvil riot]] ([[spoiler:at least before TheReveal]]) that you can't help but enjoy whenever he's on-screen. Fans easily consider him more entertaining than [[DirtyCoward Percy]].

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

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

* MemeticMutation: "Dead man walking. We got a dead man walking here."

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

* 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. [[spoiler:Eventually it comes to light that Wild Bill's worst known crime was the [[WouldHurtAChild rape and murder of the two little girls]] who 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.]]]]

* FauxSymbolism

* CompleteMonster: [[PsychopathicManchild William "Wild Bill" Wharton]] is 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. [[spoiler:Eventually it comes to light that Wild Bill's worst known crime was the [[WouldHurtAChild rape and murder of the two little girls]] who 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.]]]]

* 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. [[spoiler:Eventually it comes to light that Wild Bill's worst known crime was the [[WouldHurtAChild rape and murder of the two little girls]] who 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 through Coffey's vision). Or perhaps they are treating them softly, because if they tried to treat them harshly, they might crack and kill ''them''?

* 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]] who 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.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: Percy's constant homophobic slurs to Delacroix can be this for people who know that Michael Jeter was gay in RealLife.