The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Since I started reviewing movies in March I've seen 111 other ones. This is the newest film I've reviewed. The film takes place in the 1940s through the 1960s so that makes it feel older than it actually is.

Anyways, the film is about a man sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for killing his wife and her lover. Like just about everyone in the prison, he says he is innocent. The film basically chronicles his life in prison over the course of twenty years. As an educated man and former banker, he gives a great deal of financial advice to all the prison's employees. Eventually more happens, but I don't want to reveal too much. The plot was fairly interesting, although the first half isn't quite as good as it does little more than show what prison life was like in this fictional prison. I thought that the end of the film was a little unrealistic as the long-term project the protagonist performs would have surely been found out and even if it wasn't I can't imagine it would work as easily as it did for him. Regardless, it was still fairly interesting.

The main actors in the film were Tim Robbins as the aforementioned protagonist and Morgan Freeman who plays a fellow inmate who becomes the protagonist's best friend in prison. Robbins wasn't bad, but wasn't particularly great either. Freeman was a better actor and was nominated for an Academy Award. There's a lot of secondary characters and they're all fairly-well acted.

Overall, this is pretty good, but I don't think it's worthy of the number one ranking on IMDb.com. Even though this took place a while ago, I don't think guards were ever able to beat inmates to death with little consequence. The climax at the end of the film seems a little unrealistic as does the majority of what Robbins' character does in the second half of the film. It's a good movie, sure, but it's not the greatest movie ever or even close.

77/100
C+

UP NEXT: Stanley Kubrick's first film (depending on how you count), Killer's Kiss.

I give it an 80


And I disagree


There probably were prisons where guards beat prisoners to death and got away with doing so


Once upon a time in this country we had public executions, too



Prisoners Rights have only occured in the last 30 years

Alcatraz and Attica were two of the most brutal prisons in U.S History

Well when they pretended that prisoner tried to escape that was in what, 1967? That's during all those 60s protests and what not so I don't think it would be that easy to kill someone. They pretended like he was trying to escape, but why didn't they send an alarm or something? Besides, you wouldn't shoot an escapee if he was in there for something like breaking and entering - he wasn't Jeffery Dahmer or anything like that.

Still, our scores are about the same so we don't disagree much.

ya it is true there were prisons like alcatraz that the guards could beat the prisoners and nothing would be said .. look it up on the internet u kan find info on it and i give the movie like a 89 out of 100.

Hehe this reminds me of my second favorite teacher ever Bryon.

SHAW!

I saw him yesterday lol. And my favorite teacher ever, Headley!

kool what he say?

basically that im the shit. lol. me and jimmy went and talked to shaw for a little and asked if saw malcolm or philly, cuz we couldnt find our bus, and like, we saw Headley getting ready for open gym.

koool sounds fun

your lame to talk to dude. lol. todd at least says more.

well

you would. i dont care if hes right there, im still typing plenty.

hahahahhah ur gay... what u doing this weekened

ummm friday im going tothe game, saturday, boardman (race) its like an hour and a half away.

hahahahahhah my weekend is football then chillaxin

ha. lucky. i dont chillax till the bus ride home from boardman.

Spoiler:

I see the Shawshank Redemption in a different perspective. It was filmed primarily at the old Mansfield Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio (about 45 miles south of me), and there is a LOT of factual information in the movie. What's more, I'm suprised they were able to get people to continue shooting the movie there, as it is known around here as being the #1 Haunted place in the area. Prison guards quit their jobs there because of the hauntings, etc. In fact, for a price(about $200 I think), the general public can go into the prison at about 5pm, and spend the night in the prison to ghost hunt. You can take in as much equipment as you want, as long as it's battery opperated, or if you have your own portable generator for electrical items. My wife and I have actually considered getting a group of people together (to defer the cost a bit) to do just that..."ghost hunt".

I did some research on the Reformatory years ago, and prison guards there did actually beat and kill prisoners there back in the 40's and 50's. So, given it's proximity to me and the history of the prison itsself, I would give the movie an 89/100 (B+).

ya the prison that was used in thsi movie was the mansfield penetentary... which i think ...but not sure is still up and running today!