Directed by Frank Darabont, 'The Shawshank Redemption' is without doubt the most critically acclaimed and well-loved prison drama of all time, although its initial box office success was limited. Released in 1995, the story centres around Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a man wrongly accused and imprisoned for the murder of his wife. The main focus is on Dufrane's struggle to maintain hope despite his circumstances, and the development of his relationship with 'Red' (Morgan Freeman), a fellow prisoner who becomes a close friend. Red's character also serves the function of being the films narrator, a job performed as a wise overview conducted in his inimitable ...  Read the complete review

This has got to be a MUST for any film collection and is a the very highest bench mark for any prison film since. The film starts off with a simple premise, a banker is accused of killing his wife and despite pleading not guilty is sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to serve his sentence in one of the toughest jails in the US; Shawshank The film takes you through every aspect and emotion you can expect to experience, from the moment you're taken through the prison gates at the beginning to the dramatic climax and savage twist (I won't spoil it for you if you've not watched it). The build up of the complex relationships between the ...  Read the complete review

This 1994 film about prison life and attempting to escape is in my opinion the most over rated film of all time. So many viewers of it wax lyrical about how marvelous it is and how it's their favourite film of all time and the greatest film of all time. I have also seen it listed as the best film of all time in various polls that have been conducted. One of these polls is the well respected IMDB poll which currently has it as Number 1 in its list of the top 250 films and has an average rating of 9.1 out of 10. This is based on the ratings of 412,000 voters which is a massive sample of people. It is based on Stephen King's 1982 novel "Rita ...  Read the complete review

I bought this movie back in the days of VHS cassettes for no other reason than it was on special offer in a Virgin Megastore. I was a student and was trying to find a fifth VHS movie to buy in a '5 for £20 sale'. It sat on my shelf for over a year. In fact I moved house with this movie and had still never watched it. I think it was eventually a weekday - when I coundnt bring myself to go to class - when I finally sat down to watch this movie. What a great result that turned out to be. This film is so loved by my friends and I that it has become a running joke that if a film is worth watching it will probably be sitting unwrapped on my shelf (the joke is further ...  Read the complete review

The Shawshank Redemption is my personal favourite movie of all time and according to just under 500,000 people who've rated it on IMDB.com it's theirs as well; with a truly incredible 9.2 average out of 10 it's hard to argue that it's a terrible film The story is of a young man doing well for himself in high society until he's framed for the murder of his life and her secret lover. He keeps himself to himself inside the prison walls before branching out and befriending Red (Morgan Freeman) He then uses his intellect to safeguard himself and coordinate his escape and free life. Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne brilliantly with the high class ...  Read the complete review