The Shawshank Redemption

89%

Tomatometer

141 Reviews

98%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn't commit the crimes. While there, he forms a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), experiences brutality of prison life, adapts, helps the warden, etc., all in 19 years.

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Critics Consensus

Steeped in old-fashioned storytelling and given evergreen humanity by Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, The Shawshank Redemption chronicles the hardship of incarceration patiently enough to come by its uplift honestly.

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Critics Reviews

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The Shawshank Redemption | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Jonathan Romney

Guardian

If this is a feel-good movie -- and by the end it certainly is -- then at least it challenges us to dig deep for those good feelings when everything inside those mausoleum walls is unrelievedly harsh and grey.

Mar 4, 2024

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The Shawshank Redemption | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

The Shawshank Redemption is both resigned and inspirational, grittily realistic and vaguely surreal, matter-of-fact and operatic. Somehow, these opposites are combined into a remarkably smooth and lyrical composition.

Mar 4, 2024

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The Shawshank Redemption | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Adam Mars-Jones

Independent (UK)

The sad thing is that The Shawshank Redemption, a so-so film, would have made a terrific little movie. A pacier project would have given us less time to notice sentimentalities.

Mar 4, 2024

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The Shawshank Redemption | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Dan Buffa

Ramble On With Buffa (Substack)

Darabont cut right to the heart of a flock of human birds trapped in a giant cage, under the watch of a corrupt warden and terrifyingly sinister guard. It was serious, certain, and made you laugh. Freeman's legend has never shined brighter.

Rated: A+

May 7, 2024

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The Shawshank Redemption | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Next to Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption ranks as the strongest, purest film ever made from a novel or novella by Stephen King, a monster film where the horrors are frighteningly human.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 4, 2024

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The Shawshank Redemption | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Yardena Arar

Los Angeles Daily News

It's Robbins and Freeman who carry the film, working around the most predictable moments with simple understatement.

Mar 4, 2024

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Audience Reviews

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John The Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie. Nothing better than watching this classic film on the big screen. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins are at their best. The music of Thomas Newman is remarkable in the theater. An amazing movie experience! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/21/24 Full Review Jonathan L One of the greatest movies of all time it was tremendous to see it on the big screen as it was meant to be seen, as an electric roller coaster ride. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/21/24 Full Review Madie R I can't believe it took me 20 years to see this movie. So glad I finally took the opportunity to "get busy living". What a brilliant film. Then again it's Stephen King story. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/05/24 Full Review Faiz D One of the most amazing films I've ever seen. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Wayne M A movie like no other—a true masterpiece—anyone that doesn’t see that is quite simply, obtuse. My children have yet to see it; I can’t wait for that day. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Hammond M I have watched this movie in various periods of my life: from just being a kid, to young adult, to now having kids and every single time it hits differently. And yet the throughline here is it's a masterpiece.The cinematography from Roger Deakins still appears better, more powerful and more breathtaking than most movies today.The acting is phenomenal, moving and thoroughly human. There are just so few movies that can transcend what it set out to be (a prison movie) and instead tell the oldest tale of time: the unwavering human spirit.And as someone who loves a good soundtrack: Thomas Newman's score is transformational - you don't merely hear it, you feel it.If you have never watched, I am insanely jealous of you: to be able to experience this masterpiece for the first time is a wonderful treat. Enjoy! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Shawshank Redemption

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Cast & Crew

Frank Darabont Director Tim Robbins Andy Dufresne Morgan Freeman Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding Bob Gunton Warden Samuel Norton William Sadler Heywood Clancy Brown Captain Byron Hadley

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