The Shawshank Redemption Reviews

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Director Frank Darabont Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
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    Latest Reviews

    “The Shawshank Redemption”

    ★★★★★

    written by isakjohannesson on 25/06/2015

    I had heard a lot of good things about The Shawshank Redemtion before watching it for the first time, so I had quite high expectations sitting through the film. Even so, I was still taken by surprise by just how brilliant it was. The Shawshank Redemption is a crime and drama film which focuses on a young banker named Andy Dufresne. Andy's life changes drastically when he is convicted and sentenced for the murder of his wife and her lover. He's sent to Shawshank Prison for life as a punishment, but it becomes quite clear that Andy Dufresne has no intention on being a normal prisoner. While in prison, he befriends "Red", a prison smuggler who's also serving a life sentence. Their friendship works quite well since, while Andy's very introverted, Red is rather talkative. They're played by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman respectivly, whose performances are fantastic. I'm really keen on the camerawork, there are plenty of interesting scenes inside the prison because of it. There are no special effects in The Shawshank Redemption, at least not any noticable ones. The brilliant performances and camerawork makes many scenes feel very realistic. The soundtrack is astonishingly good as well and adds a lot to the atmosphere of the film. All of this really comes together throughout the whole film, especially in the last thirty minutes. I really enjoyed The Shawshank Redemption, it's probably my favourite movie of all time. I can't think of any other comparable film, you have to see it for yourself. All aspects of the movie are fantastic and they make it one of the most unforgetable films I've ever seen.

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    “Imbd's No. 1 rated Movie”

    ★★★★★

    written by Enis33 on 15/07/2013

    After checking through Imbd to see what was regarded as the top rated movie I can't say it was overly surprising to see that the title was held by Stephen Kings 'SHawshank Redemption'.

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    “great movie!! not a single boring bit! really intense...”

    ★★★★★

    written by kitty mk on 19/05/2010

    great movie!! not a single boring bit! really intense movie though, not to watch if you just want to watch something brainless to pass the time with.

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    “The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite films....”

    ★★★★★

    written by tractor lad on 11/05/2009

    The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite films. I haven't yet watched Shawshank and not cried at the end, I love this film, I find it very refreshing .

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    “The Shawshank Redemption is one of my fav movies, the...”

    ★★★★★

    written by on 03/03/2009

    The Shawshank Redemption is one of my fav movies, the best ive seen.
    definitly deserves 4 stars. should have won more academy awards though. great drama, excellent background info. is present. the beginning midle and end were well connected. probably the best movie ive seen in my life.

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    “The Shawshank Redemption is not one of the greatest...”

    ★★★★★

    written by xam27 on 06/02/2009

    The Shawshank Redemption is not one of the greatest films ever made, as many seem to think. But it is very good. Adapted from an above-average novella by Stephen King (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, found as part of Different Seasons), the script adds to the story in intelligent ways. Tim Robbins has been better, but he's a fine actor, and he does a very good job here. Morgan Freeman sticks to his usual persona, but, for once, actively improves the film, as his typical performance is exactly what is called for. Bob Gunton, a fantastic actor who has unfortunatley been stuck with bit parts, is great as the warden. The film is well shot by Roger Deakins and directed competently by Frank Darabont, who also wrote the script, which is the best thing about the film. Though it can occasionally be corny (the last scene for example,which was not in King's original story), Darabont has an excellent ear for dialogue. And the final twenty minutes, leading up to the aforementioned corny ending, are exhilarating. Though the film is a bit too long, it was easily, following Pulp Fiction, the second greatest American film of 1994. I recommend it.

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    “The Shawshank Redemption film is an adaptaion from the...”

    ★★★★★

    written by Glover4Prez on 09/01/2009

    The Shawshank Redemption film is an adaptaion from the Stephen King short story- Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption. This film tells the story of a young banker named Andy Dufresne who was convicted of killing his wife and her cheating lover and was sentenced to 2 life sentences back to back at Shawshank Prison. Over the years, he befriends an irish african american named Ellis Boyd Redding but everyone calls him just plain "Red". Soon the Warden then asks him to help him with his payments and taxes and soon illegally laundering money through property ownage. As the story continues, the story get much more in depth as Andy gets more well known for building the biggest prison library and etc. This film was made in 1994 and the cast includes:
    Tim Robbins- Andy Dufresne
    Morgan Freeman- Ellis "Red" Boyd Redding
    Bob Gunton- Warden Norton
    William Sadler- Heywood
    Clancy Brown- Captain Byron Hedley
    Gil Bellows- Tommy
    Directed by Frank Darabont

    This film was nominated for 7 Oscars
    This film was named best film of all time from the users of www.imdb.com of the top 250 list

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    “This film is excellent. The human integrity, struggle...”

    ★★★★★

    written by on 20/12/2008

    This film is excellent. The human integrity, struggle and passion is so great that this film will tug at you heartstrings, make you laugh, cry, and beg for more.

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    “Adapted from a short story by Stephen King, The...”

    ★★★★★

    written by Lee2008 on 20/08/2006

    Adapted from a short story by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption tells the tale of the friendship between two convicts serving life sentences. This film is one of the few Stephen King adaptations to go mainstream and not contain any supernatural occurances. It is also brilliantly narrated by Morgan Freeman through-out.
    Writer and director Frank Darabont draws out strong and intense performances from Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbens. Red (Freeman) sees hope as a dangerous thing that can drive a man insane, but Andy (Robbens) believes it is fuel that keeps us going against all the odds.
    Shawshank Redemption is a devoulty old fashioned prison drama, I don't want to give the plot of the film away, but something amazing happens at Shawshank prison, its suprising and inspiring to watch. You come away from the experiance blindsided by Andys inspirational example.
    This film was released in 1994. It was nominated for 7 academy awards including best picture. It failed to win a single Oscar, and director Frank Darabona failed to receive a nomination for himself. which is a crime in my opinion, as this film is flawlessly acted and directed. It was up against Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction which are great films in there own right, so I suppose it was unlucky to have such good competition that year for an Oscar.
    I would recommend this film to everyone, it is a true masterpeice of cinematography and rightly deserves its 5 star status.
    When I told a friend to watch this film, as he had not seen it, he loved every second of it and his only regret was he wished he had watched it when it was released 12 years ago.
    This film carries a 15 certificate and contains some prison violence and a mild scene of a sexual nature.
    Shawshank Redemption is a jubilant tribute to hope and an essential quality of soul.
    Fear can hold you prisoner...........Hope can set you free.

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    Cult Fiction's Response to Lee2008's Review

    Written on: 26/08/2006

    I disagree that this is a good film. The ending was just too unbelievable, it took a team full of POW's to dig a tunnel in the film the great escape, so one man doing it on his own is highly unlikely. The chemistry between Tim Robbins and Sidney Poiter was as binding as the marriage vows of that lass from atomic kitten with that lad from Westside.
    <br/>Quite frankly the most predictble ending ever to have been made since &#039;When Harry Met Sally&#039; hit our screens.

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    Lee2008's Response to Lee2008's Review

    Written on: 06/01/2007

    It has been brought to my attention that 3 tunnels named Tom, Dick and Harry were dug simultaneously, although tunnel 3 was eventually used to make the escape. 76 men escaped, however almost all were recaptured or killed, only 3 made it to safety in neutral Switzerland. The story is inspired by an actual escape from stalag III on 24th of march 1944. If the prison opened in the April on 1942 that's less than 2 years to dig the tunnels, which would support my theory of the tunnel digging in the great escape being a little far fetched. However, a disclaimer claims the escape events are true to actual events as much as possible, although Steve McQueen's motorbike scenes were fabricated, as Steve complained about his characters lack of screen time. So I feel I must apologize to cult fiction for discrediting his claims about tunnels. The claims cult made were based on true events, the tunnel digging in the Shawshank Redemption is fictitious, and for that that reason I hang my head in shame. I only hope you can find it in your heart to to accept my apology.

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    252776_Anonymous101's Response to Lee2008's Review

    Written on: 03/01/2007

    Hello mate, the prisoner of war camp Stalag III wasn&#039;t opened until April 1942, I don&#039;t know how this alters your equations as I&#039;m not sure when the actual digging commenced but it wouldn&#039;t have started straightaway I don&#039;t believe. I will see what I can find out for you.

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    Lee2008's Response to Lee2008's Review

    Written on: 22/12/2006

    Amazing. So I took the prisoners of war 1 year less than I had thought to dig that tunnel in the great escape. Does anybody know the year they were captured? Let's say the were imprisoned in the the first year of the conflict - 1939, and escaped in 1944; that's only 5 years to dig a considerable sized tunnel right under the noses of their captors. They were incarcerated for let's say 1825 days, and let's say the tunnel was approximately 2 kilometers long; that would result in a mean average of having to dig 1.09589 per day for every day of imprisonment, which I admit, is not outside the boundaries of reality, but it is at the higher end of unlikely on my scale. I must hasten to add that these figures are only approximations of mine. I would be pleased to have the exact figures/times and distances at hand. Cheers.

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    252776_Anonymous101's Response to Lee2008's Review

    Written on: 20/12/2006

    It has just been brought to my attention that the break-out actually took part in the early part of 1944, well done lads!!

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    252776_Anonymous101's Response to Lee2008's Review

    Written on: 20/12/2006

    Do you reckon that the prisoners who broke out of the P.O.W camp were gutted after digging for all them long and arduous six years (1939-1945). The war ended in 1945 and the P.O.W camps were liberated shortly afterwards anyway, so all these efforts were in effect futile. Steve McQueen's foolhardy decision to ride his motor vehicle into barbed wire seems just plain reckless every time I see that movie.

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    Lee2008's Response to Lee2008's Review

    Written on: 19/12/2006

    It took a large team of P.O.W.s six years to dig that tunnel in The Great Escape (1939-1945). It took Andy from this film 35 years and he had no help from his mates. Im not 100% sure but I would guess that the tunnel that Andy dug was also much shorter than the one that Steve McQueen and his mates dug. Andy only has to get through a few meters and then he is in sewage tunnels which where already there. He utilize&#039;s pre-dug tunnels in this film, whilst Steve McQueen and his mates do not benefit from any kind of architectural flaws. Which in fact makes your comment on the making of tunnels less believable in The Great Escape.

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    “The Shawshank Redemption is by far, the best film I...”

    ★★★★★

    written by timbo on 17/11/2005

    The Shawshank Redemption is by far, the best film I have ever seen. The basic plot is about a man who is imprisoned for the murder of his wife that he did not commit. He is sent to Shawshank Prison where most of the rest of the story takes place. I don't want to spoil the film by saying anymore about it but believe me, it is a great film.
    I enjoyed it the most because it was original, there have been many films about prison life and false accusations, but not like The Shawshank Redemption. The main character is an extremly clever banker who manages to out wit the prison warden and all the gaurds and then the secret of how he does it all is revealed at the end of the film.
    The Shawshank Redemption cannot be compared to any film so please watch it and enjoy it like I did.

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    “I first saw The Shawshank Redemption 2 years ago and...”

    ★★★★★

    written by MarkysBabe1987 on 08/04/2005

    I first saw The Shawshank Redemption 2 years ago and it became one of my all time favourite films. It is one of those films that takes your breath away and one of the films where you truely feel like you know the characters. I recommend this film to everybody.

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    “The Shawshank Redemption is a story about a man...”

    ★★★★★

    written by Huxley. on 05/11/2002

    The Shawshank Redemption is a story about a man falsely convicted of murdering his wife. Placed in prison on a 30 year sentence you see how he copes (with the aid of his confidante and friend (Red)) with all that prison has to throw at him. This is a story about hope and not giving up and in this genre is the best I have ever seen.

    If you have not seen this movie you are truly missing out.

    The performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are immense and both deserved oscars and more. But it seems to have some how slipped throught the net in this respect.

    I have bought this movie twice on VHS and DVD you can normally get it for about for £5 on DVD. Trust me it will be the best money you have ever spent on a movie.

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    “I first saw The Shawshank Redemption in 1996 and it...”

    ★★★★★

    written by Amazon Customer. on 23/01/2002

    I first saw The Shawshank Redemption in 1996 and it blew me away. The film has a captivating story that you just cant turn away from. Not to mention a cast who have given their all in the film, none more so than the eclectic Morgan Freeman, who gives a stunning performance as institutionalised inmate Red. With his role also being the narrator of the film it is Freeman who truly makes the film work. A stellar performance by Tim Robbins compesates Freemans and the two strike up and on-screen partnership that makes the film a backdrop to their friendship.
    In my opinion, The Shawshank Redemption is a work of genius and it proves my theory that film critics just dont know a good film when they see one. How it didnt win any Oscars is beyond me. Freeman deserves one for his performance and the direction by Frank darabont is award winning. It is a film filled with hope and filled with dreams of better things.
    I think i have seen this film well over 50 times and i never ever get tired of watching it. It always fills me with joy and leaves a smile on my face.
    I rate this as the best film i have ever seen, and i have seen and own a helluva lot of films, but no film impacted my life in quite the same way as this did

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