Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Rolling Stone
"...Undeniably powerful and moving..." 10/06/1994 p.81

New York Times
"...A slow, gentle story of camaraderie....THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION has its own brand of iconoclasm..." 09/23/1994 p.C3

Entertainment Weekly
"...Extremely satisfying entertainment....[A] provisional masterpiece..." -- Rating: A- 04/07/1995 pp.100-1

Chicago Sun-Times
"...THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION creates a warm hold on our feelings....It is deeper than most films; about continuity in a lifetime based on friendship and hope..." 10/17/1999 p.5

Total Film
"...Robbins and Freeman are superb, the dialogue sparse and poetic..." 08/01/2000 p.101

Apollo Leisure Guide 7 of 10
The Shawshank Redemption is the sort of movie that sneaks up on you... When the film's conclusion starts to unfold, you suddenly realize that this is one of the more inspiring films you've seen in a long time--yet you don't feel the least bit manipulated. - Brian Webster
 
The San Francisco Chronicle 7 of 10
As preposterous as it is appealing, The Shawshank Redemption takes a straightforward, soul-stirring novella by horror maestro Stephen King and turns it into a somber, bloated prison drama designed to pump you up on inspiration. Thanks to fine performances and beautiful photography, you get that inspirational jump-start frame after frame. And you get generous helpings of the novella's deft ironic humor about a man quietly turning a corrupt system against itself - Peter Stack
 
Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
It is a strange comment to make about a film set inside a prison, but "The Shawshank Redemption" creates a warm hold on our feelings because it makes us a member of a family. Many movies offer us vicarious experiences and quick, superficial emotions. "Shawshank" slows down and looks. It uses the narrator's calm, observant voice to include us in the story of men who have formed a community behind bars. It is deeper than most films; about continuity in a lifetime, based on friendship and hope...Roger Deakins' cinematography is tactful, not showy. Two opening shots, one from a helicopter, one of prison walls looming overhead, establish the prison. Shots follow the dialogue instead of anticipating it. Thomas Newman's music enhances rather than informs, and there is a subtle touch in the way deep bass rumblings during the early murder are reprised when a young prisoner recalls another man's description of the crime...Darabont constructs the film to observe the story, not to punch it up or upstage it. Upstaging, in fact, is unknown in this film; the actors are content to stay within their roles, the story moves in an orderly way, and the film itself reflects the slow passage of the decades...Watching the film again, I admired it even more than the first time I saw it. Affection for good films often grows with familiarity, as it does with music. Some have said life is a prison, we are Red, Andy is our redeemer. All good art is about something deeper than it admits. - Roger Ebert
 
ReelViews 9 of 10
With a legion of titles like Pet Sematary, Firewalker, Sleepwalkers, Maximum Overdrive, and Children of the Corn, it's reasonable not to expect much from Stephen King-inspired motion pictures. Adaptations of the prolific author's work typically vary from mildly entertaining to virtually unwatchable. There are a few notable exceptions, however; two of which (Stand by Me, Misery) were crafted by widely-respected director Rob Reiner. While The Shawshank Redemption is not a Reiner movie per se, it is a production of Castle Rock Pictures (Reiner's film company), and ranks among the best filmed versions of any King stories to date. (This statement has not changed since I first wrote it in 1994.)...Unfortunately, following a solid two hours of thought-provoking drama, the movie deflates like a punctured balloon during its overlong denouement. The too-predictable final twenty minutes move a little slowly, and writer/director Darabont exposes a distressing need to wrap up everything into a tidy little package..."Salvation lies within," advises Warden Norton at one point. It is the presentation of this theme that makes The Shawshank Redemption unique. Prison movies often focus on the violence and hopelessness of a life behind bars. While this film includes those elements, it makes them peripheral. The Shawshank Redemption is all about hope and, because of that, watching it is both uplifting and cathartic. - James Berardinelli