The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

114 out of 150 people found the following review helpful:

The Gaping Vent of a Sewer.

A Customer from Clunton, Shropshire., 29th May, 2007

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.

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38 out of 51 people found the following review helpful:

The spandex pants of prison movies

Supergojira from from Houston, 9th June, 2007

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.

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31 out of 34 people found the following review helpful:

Simply Stunning!

Rob & Fiona Stanley from Hull, England, 27th February, 2004

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!

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28 out of 36 people found the following review helpful:

Hollywood horror

Daniel Smith from London, 10th February, 2008

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.

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Ground-Breaking Film.

filmsaremypassion from , 21st August, 2010

The Shawshank Redemption begins with Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), sent to jail with two life sentencings after the double murder of his wife and her lover. There he meets Red (Morgan Freeman) and devolps a very close friendship with him. This is a film that should never be remade, it would be crimmal and wrong to damage it. I only checked this out after enjoying The Green Mile (both were based on Stephen King novels), it has a very strong script and ground breaking pefomances from them all. The ending will leave the viewer with a lump in their throat. While I wouldn't say it's a total masterpiece, it's highly recommened you check it out if you haven't.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

one of my favs

Pinkymeister from , 15th August, 2010

I love this film it is one of my all time favs although quite a long film its is truley brilliant and all the cast are brilliant

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1 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

this one was a real eye opener

A Customer from London, 5th August, 2010

when this film was released i couldnot understand all the fuss this i the first time i have watchd it and it did not dissapoint a man i convictedof a crime he says he did not commit once imprisoned he stars a close friendship with a con then they form a bond the convict is then used by the wardens to evade tax and for financial gain this film gives areal insight into prison life and there treatment i was hookes truly a brilliant film

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0 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Utterly ordinary

A Customer from Wien, 4th August, 2010

So this is the 'best film ever made, no question?' - I don't think so, not even close. It is in fact very ordinary. This is a prime example of people jumping on the bandwagon and hyping something up. It's not even the best prison drama. Buy it, rent it watch it, but please don't expect too much - this is simply a decently made & acted story.

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