The Shawshank Redemption
User Score
9.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 442 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 423 out of 442
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 442
  3. Negative: 14 out of 442

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  1. BennyM
    Feb 8, 2009
    3
    Extremely overrated. Morgan Freeman gave a nice performance however Tim Robbins possessed no emotion whatsoever and I cared little if even at all for any of the characters. Not particularly well written with a warm message that is delivered over an overly long period of time.
  2. barry
    Aug 2, 2005
    2
    Easily the most over-rated movie ever. Wooden, cliched, un-realistic.
  3. YoonC.
    Sep 15, 2003
    4
    Way too manipulative from start to finish though well-crafted in most aspects. If you want some schlocky moral sermon to be whispered into your ears and want a nice warm hug and a big fat juicy kiss to be reminded that bad guys get their comeuppance and good guys end up in paradise, this is for you.
  4. Bruno
    Dec 28, 2006
    2
    Overhyped socialist movie that tried to convince me that prisoners are better people then us and deserve much better treatment.
  5. QuinnC.
    Nov 25, 2007
    0
    Freeman is 'red' freedom character searching for nothing but to pace his life in prison. Robins is a robin hood who does more strength than the hero, he becomes a prisoner, also a librarian, teacher, friend, and smart banker who reads books. These two characters start off and end off by learning how to live trying and die trying. I do not enjoy a film that drags on, bores, and tells a message with bad wording, a bad script, and badly done lesson, that prisoners get the rights to do many things than sit in a rotting cell and eat disgusting food all day.… Expand
  6. Delta_Assault
    Sep 28, 2011
    3
    I don't like the Shawshank Redemption. It's a bunch of guys sitting around in prison listening to classical music. Most of them, with the exception of the protagonist, are murderers and scumbags. I don't feel any sympathy for them. Then you get to the end and there's some hokey fairytale ending where the two guys meet up on some sunny picturesque beach and it's all smiles and rainbows and **** What's to like?

    Now, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy movies with people who've done bad things. There are plenty of anti-heroes in good films, like "Leon" for example. Or, The Professional if you will. The film was originally titled Leon in France but then changed to The Professional when it came over to America. I guess because they figured that American audiences wouldn't be interested in seeing a movie titled Leon, they'd just miss out on what the film was really about.

    I think the difference in something like "Leon" is that while he's an assassin for hire, he's only going out and killing other drug dealers and corrupt cops and people who are as vile or worse. There's a code he follows. So it's like the lesser of two evils, you can relate with him because he's better then the people he combats. Same with Batman, he's a vigilante and thus a criminal, but he follows a code and commits violence against those even worse then he is. While in Shawshank... the convicts are imprisoned for committing crimes against innocent people, we assume. We don't really find out the specific circumstances, but it's generally understood that these people were not committing crimes against even worse human beings.

    So this aura of reverence and love for the film has always mystified me. I'm not going to say it's a bad film. The cinematography and acting all seem fairly competent. But it just didn't do anything for me. I felt bored by it. And ya know, listening to people hyping it up to be one of the greatest films ever made didn't help either. It's number one on IMDB's top 250 greatest, for God's sake. And there're plenty of people out there who'll tell you it should've won Best Picture over Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump. Me, I'm of the opinion Forrest Gump rightfully deserved the award. Forrest Gump, now there was a film that really moved me and touched me deep down inside.    … Expand
  7. Tonyiscool111
    Jun 27, 2012
    0
    I felt it was the perfect movie. A great movie to watch with a family. Stephen king knows how to make a story. Filled me with emotion such as anger, sadness, happyness. It should have won best picture in 1994.
  8. Akelaar
    Dec 13, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In my opinion this movie is really overrated. No real emotional scenes and the worst part of this movie is its "Happy End" in its pink colors. I hardly rate it 4/10.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    It's the no-bull performances that hold back the flood of banalities. Robbins and Freeman connect with the bruised souls of Andy and Red to create something undeniably powerful and moving.
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  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    90
    Gripping...compelling.
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  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Stack
    75
    Some of "The Shawshank Redemption'' comes across as outrageously improbable. Yet the film keeps pulling you back with its sense of striving humanity slowly turning the tables against evil.
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