The Emotional Green Mile Quote That Brings Fans To Tears

A harrowing and touching tale about the unbearable brutality and surprising gentleness of men who work on the death row and sit on it, "The Green Mile" tells the story of Cold Mountain Penitentiary's Warden Supervisor Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), and the strange prisoner he befriends. John Coffey (Michael Clarce Duncan) has been sentenced to death for brutal crimes, but his innate gentleness and apparent supernatural abilities imply that things are not quite what they seem — especially since it turns out that he can actually feel other people's pain and perform miraculous feats of healing.

"The Green Mile" has scenes that go too far, but Frank Darabont's fantasy drama has established its legacy as a classic. In all honesty, a significant percentage of the movie counts as a tearjerker, but fans have compared notes about which part of the film breaks them most efficiently. Here's the emotional quote from "The Green Mile" that brings fans to tears. 

From the horrifying, sabotaged execution of Del Delacroix (Michael Jeter) to the sorrow old Paul (Dabbs Greer) feels as he keeps on living while everyone he cares about dies around him, there are many moments in "The Green Mile" that can make you chop the proverbial onions. However, some Reddit fans of the movie have identified a certain moment in the ending of "The Green Mile" as a particular tearjerker highlight. 

John Coffey is the movie's emotional center, thanks to his childlike innocence, as well as the mystical wisdom brought on by his supernatural abilities. As such, redditor u/ParcelofStardust has named the character's fearful request to remain unhooded during his execution as the go-to line that moves them to tears. "'Please, boss, don't put that thing over my face, don't put me in the dark. I's afraid of the dark.' Green Mile," the redditor quoted the touching line. 

Many of the redditors replying to u/ParcelofStardust's comment agreed that the line is one massive tearjerker. "Oh my heart. That broke me," u/Throisma wrote with a crying emoji for emphasis. " Redditor u/Karsa69420 agreed, and offered a practical, multigenerational example of the line's sheer gut-wrenching impact. "My ex's mom walked in on us watching this. She said she couldn't watch it again and wouldn't say why. She came back an hour later to us both crying and was like 'That's why I won't watch it again'," they wrote.