The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:49
Rotten:7
Average Rating:8/10
Synopsis: In writer-director Frank Darabont's THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover in the late... [More]
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Clancy Brown, Bob Gunton
Director: Frank Darabont
Reviews for The Shawshank Redemption
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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I love this film. It's a story about hope and dreams and one whose emotional impact is as great as the Pacific Ocean is blue. Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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 2/4 |
Rarely rises above the overbearing, obnoxious and trite. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Click to read the article Full Review |
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8/10 |
...itself a testament to overcoming odds. It is sentimental and stereotyped, yet we are able not only to suspend our disbelief but to root for it all the way. Full Review |
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4/4 |
...has certainly earned its reputation as one of the most effective prison movies in cinematic history... Full Review |
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4/5 |
It's an old-school melodrama at heart, sturdy and forthright and upstanding, but without a whisper of complexity or wit. Full Review |
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A testament to the human spirit... Full Review |
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4/4 |
A 'life-affirming' tale about life imprisonment, The Shawshank Redemption is the kind of old-fashioned entertainment that is easily overvalued in an era of diminishing expectations. Full Review |
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A passing reference to 'The Count of Monte Cristo' offers a partial clue to what makes this movie compelling. Full Review |
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B+ |
I have not read Stephen King's novella (his first non-horror), but some of the movie's deficiencies, such as the old-fashioned morality tale and portentous messge about camarderie and redemption--must have been in the source material. Full Review |
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...a throwback to the kind of serious, literate drama Hollywood used to make. Full Review |
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10/10 |
An amazing movie. Easily one of the best movies made during the 90s and definitely one of the top 'prison' movies of all-time. Pretty much everything about this movie works and works extremely well! Full Review |
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4/4 |
An unhurried, engulfing prison drama. Full Review |
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Why are these men in jail? Full Review |
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4/4 |
The Shawshank Redemption works not only as an excellent prison drama, but as a metaphor for overcoming our own private prisons.
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2/4 |
Drawn in straight, brutal lines. Full Review |
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4/5 |
The Shawshank Redemption is one of those films that is a true work of both art and magic. Full Review |
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1.5/4 |
Beaches for straight men. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Click to read the article Full Review |
CommentLatest News for The Shawshank Redemption
July 02, 2008:
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We the people of Rotten Tomatoes, in order to make this Independence Day more perfect, do ordain and establish this Total Recall as a cinematic tribute to the Bill of Rights. More...
May 15, 2008:
Cannes 2008: Darabont Back Behind Bars
Frank Darabont is heading back to prison for a crime thriller that is selling international rights in Cannes this week.
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November 30, 2007:
Frank Darabont and Stephen King Reteam for Long Walk
Directing three Stephen King movies (four, if you count an early short film) wasn't enough for Frank Darabont. Perhaps cinema's biggest fan of the horror author, the Mist... More...
November 21, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Enchanted Leads Packed Holiday Weekend
This weekend For the first time this decade, a new release seems set to take over the number one spot during the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend at the North American box... More...
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