The Shawshank Redemption Reviews

Is this the greatest movie ever made?

An all time classic. If you haven?t seen this movie yet, ensure that it is top of your list. It tells the story of wrongly accused murderer, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), and his story of survival inside a maximum security prison, aided by his friendship with 'the only guilty man inside Shawshank', Ellis 'Red' Reddings (Morgan Freeman). Along the way it branches into at least six different side stories that, halfway through the movie, while still entertained, one wonders what they have to do with the plot. The answer is everything, as becomes apparent by the end.

I won't bore you with details of the individual craftsmanship that went into this movie, but I will advise anyone who has not seen it to see it, and as soon as possible. Keep watching until the end, and there is no possible way you can be disappointed. It is absolutely masterly directed by Frank Darabont, and while I thought that his other Stephen King-based film, The Green Mile, was fairly slow and self-indulgent, this isn't. It is drawn out and long, but absolutely impeccable and amazingly inspirational. It delivers the message that even in the face of abject adversity, hope will always prevail. This message was recently hammed up quite terribly in 'The Two Towers', but in The Shawshank Redemption, just one very simple quote sums it up: 'Hope is a good thing. Possibly the best thing. And no good thing ever dies'

This is one for the ages. I cannot imagine that the uplifting effect of this movie will ever die. There is no possible way it could be better. The only possible reason I can think of for not liking or being inspired by this movie is that you just don't want to. There are no two ways about it. Even after nine years, this holds strong as an absolute masterpiece of film-making, and a staggering achievement.

The Gaping Vent of a Sewer.

Artificially sentimental, naive and dispiritingly predictable, The Shawshank Redemption is a fatuous Hollywood fairy tale, about as realistic about prison life as Pretty Woman was to prostitution. The story of Tim Robbins vacant saint is varnished over by Morgan Freeman's banal, cliche ridded voiceover and it's a film that refuses to make you think but indulges our basic notions of revenge and justice. It's TV-movie morality, Porridge is a more realistic portrayal of life behind bars and the interaction between inmates. I would plead to those who love this ridiculously implausible film to educate themselves about cinema. Starting with Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped might be a good idea.

Too good to miss

If you haven't seen Shawshank Redemption yet, then lucky you, for I would love to sit down again and watch this movie for the first time. Unfortunately, I've seen it too many times to count. My advice to you is to sit down either on your own or next to someone who isn't going to talk/ask questions/moan or fall asleep and wake up and say it was rubbish.

Freeman and Robbins are a joy to watch, backed up with comendable performances from lesser known actors. Beautifully written and directed. Anyone who says this film isn't very good is either lying or just trying to be different! This is a prison movie that is so much more than the usual, violence, swearing and escape.

Simply Stunning!

First and foremost, please do your best to disregard our friend Austin's comments in the reviews for this title.

Obviously, this chap can't have understood the film very well, or has little notion of what true friendship in the face of adversity is really all about.

We've seen this film countless times (though never on DVD), and have never tired of it's inspirational and uplifting message of hope.

If this is the first time you've seen this title, we can practically guarantee that you'll want to buy a copy of your very own after you've returned it!

The spandex pants of prison movies

I must have argued against the banal, cliche ridden gloop infested dungheap this movie is at least 100 times whenever people talk about their favourite movie, I really am lost to what its hold over people is, pokemon is more realistic than this typically sentimental American embarassment.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Wrong movie!

The movie listed, sent and notified as 'Shawshank Redemption', turned out to be 'Syriana'!! So this rating and review refer to 'Syriana'. The movie covers some important issues - oil, its cost in human lives, the greed and unjustified dominance of the USA, terrorism and Moslem 'fanaticism'. For this reason I'd have loved to get into it, but just couldn't. With such a large cast, and literally flitting from continent to continent for very short scenes, I found the plot baffling. I considered starting over and hoping to follow it second time round but, as it's over 2 hours and I didn't order it in the first place, I decided against...

Hollywood horror

This film is complete emotional schlock. It's stolen all the emotional chords from other people's classic ballads and strung them together into a nauseating newspaper give-away compilation disc of a movie.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Fashionably good but not THAT good.

A wonderful film by any comparison. Not as good as The Usual Suspects though!

A Genuine Moving Experience

It seems ironic that Stephen King, who is best renowned for his horror literacy, has had the most successful adaptation of his work, (by all accounts) transferred to screen in the form of The Shawshank Redemption. It's the combination of solid acting from all the cast, (even the minor supporting roles are given room to breath and flesh out their characters) the fantastic dialogue, especially well delivered by Freeman’s sombre narration and the wonderful sense of period detail as the tale unfolds over the decades.

The real magic lies if you are going into this for the first time, (the main reason why I downgraded my rating by 1). The surprises and revelations that occur especially during the last half of the movie will make you sit bolt upright, and yet are satisfying and engrossing at the same time. Ultimately it's about the determination of the human spirit and a genuine sense of hope that there is light at the end of that long foul tunnel.

A very rare uplifting feat in today’s modern cinema.

The easy choice

In a way I do actually like this film, but I don't think it deserves all the attention it gets. When people say it's their favourite, or one of their favourite films I always wonder what exactly they want out of a film.

The answer must be exactly what the film makers would have wanted. That it moved them, that they could empathise with the characters, and that it makes them 'think.' There is certainly something about Morgan Freeman's voice that makes you feel that what he is saying must have some relevence and integrity in today's cynical and often harsh society. I defy anyone to go back, watch the film and actually listen to what he is saying, as most of the time it's a lot of meaningless supposed philosophy for the dim witted and easily impressed.

I'm also not impressed by a film that relies entirely on emotional manipulation. This is the easiest possible way of getting a reaction. Who would not feel for characters that include an old man who keeps a bird in his pocket and cannot keep up with a society that has moved on so much since his incarceration? It's obvious, one dimensional and a three year old could have plucked it out of the air.

If you want catharsism and a bit of a weep, which I admit is sometimes what I crave, then this film is perfect. If you want something a little more interesting, imaginative and thought provoking, well, these maintstream epics were never really a good choice in the first place.