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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Shawshank Redemption, The
Columbia Pictures


8.9

based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 116 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: R because of "The Sisters"

Starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, Mark Rolston, and James Whitmore

Wrongly convicted, Andy Dufresne (Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in in Maine's Shawshank prison for the murders of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy learns to get by in the brutal confines of prison, even earning the respect of his fellow inmates, most notably the longtime convict "Red" Redding (Freeman).

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Frank Darabont Stephen King (short story Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption)
DIRECTED BY:	Frank Darabont
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 21, 1999 Video: November 6, 2001 Theatrical: September 1, 1994
RUNNING TIME:	142 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Empire Ian Nathan

A thumpingly good ode to friendship, hope, wit, wiles and wisdom, brimming with crackling characters and topped with the most twisteroo of twists since "The Crying Game."

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

Too long, but it feels sturdy and stirring – there's an old fashioned decency in the way that it exerts, and increases, its claim upon our feelings. [26 Sept 1994, p.108]

Time Richard Schickel

[Darabont] makes you feel the maddening pace of prison time without letting his picture succumb to it.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

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.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Gripping...compelling.

Variety Staff (Not Credited)

Central to the film's success is a riveting, unfussy performance from Robbins. Freeman has the showier role, allowing him a grace and dignity that come naturally.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Remarkable.

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

There are times when The Shawshank Redemption comes dangerously close to sounding one of those "triumph of the spirit" notes. But most of it is eloquently restrained. [23 Sept 1994, p.C3]

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

At times poignant, joyful, and terrifying, Shawshank Redemption is an altogether brilliant movie and the debut of an equally brilliant director.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

If the film is perhaps a little slow in its middle passages, maybe that is part of the idea, too, to give us a sense of the leaden passage of time, before the glory of the final redemption.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

As the uptight banker, Robbins does some of his subtlest acting to date. As his hardened but resilient friend, Freeman is simply miraculous, giving the role so much depth, dignity, and good humor that you feel that you've known this man forever. [27 Sept 1994]

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Whitmore's Brooks is a brilliantly-realized character, and the scenes with him attempting to cope with life outside of Shawshank represents one of the film's most moving -- and effective -- sequences.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

This is a movie with every facet shining in place, every word charged and resonant. [23 Sept 1994]

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Stack

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.

USA Today Mike Clark

Kudos go to the great Thomas Newman, whose score contributes as much as either lead to what is finally a two-character movie, though one well-performed by all. [23 Sept 1994]

TV Guide Staff (Not credited)

A crowd-pleasing story that has little to do with the messy complexities of reality.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Shouldering a laconic-good-guy, neo- Gary Cooper role, Robbins never quite makes emotional contact with the audience.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Paradoxically, it is Shawshank's zealousness in trying to cast a rosy glow over the prison experience that makes us feel we're doing harder time than the folks inside. [23 Sept 1994]

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Speaking of jail, "Shawshank"-the-movie seems to last about half a life sentence. The story, chiefly about the 20-year friendship between Freeman and Robbins, becomes incarcerated in its own labyrinthine sentimentality.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 116 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Troy B. gave it a10:
Best all time. Everytime you watch it you find more to like about it.

Rory P. gave it a6:
Overrated.

Keir B. gave it a10:
"The Shawshank Redemption" is one of those rare films that ages better with time. People talk about this film more now than when it was released in 1994. The acting, writing, cinematography, direction, music, editing and everything else makes this as close to a perfect film as you can get. The themes of redemption, fear, and ultimately hope are universal. "Forrest Gump" is a great film, but this SHOULD have won Best Picture. Unforgettable and beautiful.

Muhammad Z. gave it a10:
Quietly moving, yet startlingly beautiful, this tale of a man's quest for redemption and the incontrovertible power of hope is, without a doubt, one of the finest cinematic achievements of the modern age.

E H. gave it a10:
This is one the most watchable movies of all times. Morgan Freeman is miraculous.

William T gave it a9:
Brings Stephen King's novella to life and even better. The Shawshank Redemption is a fantastic movie and rightfully belongs in the list of The Greatest Movies of all time.

Quinn C. gave it a0:
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.

Shawshank Redemption, The Columbia Pictures

Shawshank Redemption, The
Columbia Pictures