View Full Version : HCR Rates The Movies #6: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
So, our next film, Classic or Crud, Hit or Miss, what say you ALL?
Our next film open for discussion, and ultimately an Overall RATING by you all:
THE SHAWHSANK REDEMPTION
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Let the discussions flow. Likes, dislikes, classic film or overhyped trash, and DONT FORGET to place an Overall Rating when youre done.
Its easy, just give a Rating from 1 (Jaws 4:The Revenge) to 10 (Jaws), and thats it. Course I'd love to have you all give reasons as to why you feel it deserves this Overall Rating, and more than encourage discussions with us all about them.
So, what say you all?
Next Film: ??????
Come now, surely in a forum with so many well educated and experienced movie-goers there most be some of you who have seen The Shawshank Redemption.
OK, guess Ill start us off. All in all Im not that big a fan of Dramas, Im more of an Sci Fi/Horror/Action/Adventure kinda guy......but that doesnt mean when a truly great Drama catches my eye that I dont give it its props. (Heck, easily one of my favorite films of all time is The Godfather) And I believe this truly great film deserves all the respect it has gotten over the years.
A really great cast, helmed by Tim Robbins and one of my favorite actors ever, Morgan Freeman. This tale of a man thrown into deepest despair and his unreal hope, patience and faith that eventually gets him out of it is a very easily watchable, and re-watchable, film. (not to mention very enjoyable to boot)
Sure there are no monsters, aliens, spaceships, stunts or high speed chases, but that doesnt mean its not one really fantastic Drama, and one incredible film overall.
I give this one a solid 8.5 / 10
What do you all say?
EmperorNorton
09/27/2005, 15:04
9 / 10 from me.
Tim Robbins is just great. Otherwise I can't think of a reason why I enjoyed this movie so much.
Inbetweener
09/27/2005, 15:27
I can certainly vouch for this movie. The Shawshank Redemption is one of the better films to come out of the 1990s. It’s terribly depressing, but in the end you find that it was all worth enduring to see that Tim Robbins’ character will make it. The film's villains could’ve been a bit deeper and I only realize how great Robbins was in this film after seeing the movie a second time. Freeman is of course incredible here. It’s a long and depressing film that rewards it’s viewer in the end.
Rating: 9.0
Come now, surely in a forum with so many well educated and experienced movie-goers there most be some of you who have seen The Shawshank Redemption.
wow, now don't i feel ashamed for not having seen it.
geez :( ;)
i caught the end of it on tv once.... i never got around to re-watching the whole thing.
my list of "important" movies i haven't seen is almost as impressive as the list of ones i have.
wow, now don't i feel ashamed for not having seen it.
geez :( ;)
i caught the end of it on tv once.... i never got around to re-watching the whole thing.
my list of "important" movies i haven't seen is almost as impressive as the list of ones i have.
Dont worry jedah, you are forgiven. Now go and rent it so you can post a rating here. :) Seriously, its a truly great drama, Im sure youll enjoy it.
Current HCR Member Rating
The Shawshank Redemption - 8.83 / 10 (Currently, our highest rated film)
This is the first one of these where I felt strongly enough about the movie to comment. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and it just so happens that I'm currently re-reading (for the fourth or fifth time) "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" at home. It's funny- for as famous as Stephen King is for horror and supernatural stories, it's his least mystical stuff that makes for the very best movies. Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, Misery, and to a lesser extent The Green Mile (since it did have a little magic in it) are all very good movies and great reads.
What I like best about Shawshank, the movie, is the casting. Tim Robbins was perfectly cast as a banker thrown into a situation where he quickly realizes how over his head he is. Morgan Freeman was an interesting choice to cast for the part of an Irish man (they changed the part, of course, but left a little "wink" in there with his name), and brings his trademark charm to the part. The guy just never phones it in, and he's one of my favorite actors because of it. Just a really classy guy. Both performances are central to the movie, with Morgan Freeman's character acting as our eyes into this world. Dufresne (Robbins) quickly shows that he will not be broken, and uses his talents, ingenuity, and patience to rise to the top, and remind us that his spirit is never actually caged.
This is what good drama movies can be.
10/10
Inbetweener
09/28/2005, 10:20
Great write up Lealu...my best friend (who is as big a cinephile as I am) considers Shawshank to be the his number one film ever. That's a stretch for me but it's definitely in my top ten for the 1990s.
You're absolutely right about Stephen King's stories being transferred to movies (although I have to pick the Shining as my favorite King take ever). It's a matter of being believable...and this is just a story that is believable, like Misery and The Green Mile, which was interpreted flawlessly so it seemed believable. There's just a point where those working in the Horror genre don't use drama as a tool...that's the main reason King films fall flat half the time.
Overall, your observation speaks to how great a storyteller King really is.
By the way, great choice for a movie DTM...this is one of those special movies that flies under the radar all too often.
Thanks buddy, glad to see this pick fared well now, as it had a really slow start up period.
And as we have it, this is the highest rated film thus far, and the only movie with an overall rating in the Classic area (9 out of 10 or higher is considered Classic here)
Course, like The Omen, its low vote count wouldnt make it quite as accurate as our other big voting ones, such as Raiders and Die Hard. (Remember all, every one of these is always open, so you can always come back and make your opinions known there as well) Whether you loved a movie here or hated it, your vote, Pro or Con, is much needed and appreciated. :)
Current HCR Member Rating:
The Shawshank Redemption - 9.13 / 10
Mieir Link
01/01/2006, 00:17
ALthough I think Green Mile is stephen Kings masterpiece I still really like the shawshank redemption. It took me a while to watch this one and it was one of those cases where you've heard so many good things about it that you go in expecting a lot,, and thats what it did, it met my expectations but didn't blow by them. A great story that still inspires today ( just watch prison break) about the human spirit, and while I agree that Robbins is great morgan freedman makes the movie, especially in the vioce over parts, there's just something about his voice that stir up emotions in a person (that sounds weird) I give this one a 9.5
xXHushXx
01/02/2006, 22:01
Great acting, great plot, great movie.
Warrants a 8.89/10
A great movie. Tim Robbins' acting is just perfect, and Morgan Freeman as the wise old timer is really good too. Music served the movie right, and the whole story is enjoyable. Haven't read the book, but once again a Stephen King book made a great movie.
8/10
Wyldstaar
11/24/2006, 18:09
I've always liked this film. I recently picked up the 10th Anniversary 2-disk DVD set, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the movie. Loads of extras, including the short film "The Sharktank Redemption" which is extremely funny and well made.
I've always liked this film. I recently picked up the 10th Anniversary 2-disk DVD set, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the movie. Loads of extras, including the short film "The Sharktank Redemption" which is extremely funny and well made.
Dont care to rate this one the, WS?
Wyldstaar
11/25/2006, 18:19
I always forget that.
10/10
torontcollectr
11/26/2006, 10:46
Tim Robbins is always interesting, addition of Morgan Freeman never hurts. An interesting and very watchable movie. Solid 8
lensnart
12/01/2006, 15:00
Should have beat Pulp Fiction for the oscar.
9.5 out of 10
A very good movie, but a little too cliched for my total enjoyment. I'll rate this one an 8.0/10
There are (only!) two things that would have improved this film for me:
There is only so much Morgan Freeman narration a man should be exposed to in one lifetime.
It would have been a better story if Tim Robbin's character (which over the course of the film is seen to be capable of treachery, revenge, meticulous plotting and ruthless determination) to have actually killed his wife.
As for the second point...many people enjoy the film because they see it as a story about an man thrust into unjust circumstances is through sheer determination able to not only escape his circumstances but triumph completely over his enemies. I would have preferred a film that didn't paint the world so black and white, especially considering that the message of the film is essentially: the criminal justice system is cruel, incompetent and run by thieves...while a good fraction of the inmates are kindly, good-hearted inmates (when they aren't raping each other).
It would have been a better story if Tim Robbin's character (which over the course of the film is seen to be capable of treachery, revenge, meticulous plotting and ruthless determination) to have actually killed his wife.
As for the second point...many people enjoy the film because they see it as a story about an man thrust into unjust circumstances is through sheer determination able to not only escape his circumstances but triumph completely over his enemies. I would have preferred a film that didn't paint the world so black and white, especially considering that the message of the film is essentially: the criminal justice system is cruel, incompetent and run by thieves...while a good fraction of the inmates are kindly, good-hearted inmates (when they aren't raping each other).
Couldn't agree more.
Darth Sabre
12/02/2006, 21:24
I've always liked this film. I recently picked up the 10th Anniversary 2-disk DVD set, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the movie. Loads of extras, including the short film "The Sharktank Redemption" which is extremely funny and well made.
I just picked this up yesterday. I love this movie, and it is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Great cast, awesome plot, great acting, it has all of the elements of the true classics.
10/10
Darth Sabre
12/02/2006, 21:26
A very good movie, but a little too cliched for my total enjoyment. I'll rate this one an 8.0/10
There are (only!) two things that would have improved this film for me:
There is only so much Morgan Freeman narration a man should be exposed to in one lifetime.
It would have been a better story if Tim Robbin's character (which over the course of the film is seen to be capable of treachery, revenge, meticulous plotting and ruthless determination) to have actually killed his wife.
As for the second point...many people enjoy the film because they see it as a story about an man thrust into unjust circumstances is through sheer determination able to not only escape his circumstances but triumph completely over his enemies. I would have preferred a film that didn't paint the world so black and white, especially considering that the message of the film is essentially: the criminal justice system is cruel, incompetent and run by thieves...while a good fraction of the inmates are kindly, good-hearted inmates (when they aren't raping each other).
I think the movie is more about hope, and the fact that even during the worst of times, that you have to have hope that things will right themselves. That's the message that I get from it, and what makes it one of my favorites of all time.
I think the movie is more about hope, and the fact that even during the worst of times, that you have to have hope that things will right themselves. That's the message that I get from it, and what makes it one of my favorites of all time.
Fair enough, but I thought it was just a little too cliche. Can you imagine how sappy The Usual Suspects would have been without the final Kevin Spacey reveal? The fact that the Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman characters essentially retire on a massive amount of stolen money at the end of Shawshank Redemption telegraphs that neither of these guys is truly heroic...I just happen to think that a better mental excercise for the audience would be a reveal that Robbins (who we see bribe, steal, frame, plot) actually had killed his wife (and had tried to frame the other guy for it) but by bad luck ended up in prison anyway...It would have been a nice symmetrical nod to the early (sarcastic) notion "no one in prison is guilty".
I still think it is a good movie, but a great movie has flawed heroes that overcome their flaws. The Tim Robbins character is as whitebread an underdog as you can find. I feel that if *I* had been given a "WTF...Do I still want to cheer for this guy?" moment (and the audience has plenty of reasons to cheer for him because of the mistreatment he endures in prison) it would have given the movie legs to stand a lot taller than it does otherwise.
KiwiGirl
12/23/2006, 19:57
I just picked this up yesterday. I love this movie, and it is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Great cast, awesome plot, great acting, it has all of the elements of the true classics.
10/10
I couldn't agree more - this movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen too.
Im going to give it a 10/10
VelvetGuru9
12/27/2006, 19:53
I'm probably too late to vote once again, but I'd just like to see my old friend Andy Dufresne one more time.
9.8
I'm probably too late to vote once again, but I'd just like to see my old friend Andy Dufresne one more time.
9.8
Nope, not late at all, as these RtM threads are always Open, so rate as many of them as you like. :)
wintremute
03/27/2009, 02:07
This is a great movie. What's weird to me is how it's such a good adaptation of the story, and how it's a Steven King story. I'm not a big King fan, but those four stories in Different Seasons are really good. Ok, maybe not Breathing Lessons...but those other three are really good stories.
The movie captures it all, has two A+ actors, and a well directed script. I give this an 8.5 out of 10.
Classic. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins deliver. Clancy Brown was the perfect douche and great supporting actor.
9
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