If you ever feel down,
If you ever feel like giving up,
If you ever feel like nothing is gonna workout,
If you ever feel hopeless,
If you ever feel like dying,

Watch this film. It is a miraculous medicine. It is a wonderful movie.

Absolute classic. It may not be THE best film ever made, but is certainly one of them - it expresses the need for friendship, bravery, hope, and above all.. freedom.

After watching Gilda for the first time yesterday, I thought I should revisit Shawshank again for the fourth time. While I don't believe it is the greatest film ever made as IMDB claims (IMDB is shit anyway) I do believe it is the best Stephen King adaptation out there. It's a clever, powerful, and breathtaking masterpiece.

Truly one of its kind. Authentic, meaningful, and heartbreaking. Some scenes really get me every time, no matter how many times I revisit it. Every performance is fantastic from Morgan Freeman to Tim Robbins, everyone manages to make their characters feel like more than just screen presences. It's a shame to hear that Frank Darabont wasn't even nominated for Best Director at the Oscars in 1995, he does a brilliant job highlighting the gritty aspects of life and capturing the very disturbing feel of prison.

While the film's subject matter is raw it's a very comforting film about friendship and it brilliantly portrays the message of trying to stay away from something after doing it your whole life. When the ending comes by, you want to stand up and cheer. Overall, this is #1 on the IMDb's top 250 for a reason. A masterpiece if there ever was one.

This was beautiful. Even though it had the clique prison break story-line I was utterly captivated by the characters and their relationship with each other.
I loved the lighting and visually, even though there was a mute colour tune, it was hard to keep your eyes away.

Another Favorite and I would happily re-watch

This movie is great in so many ways. The acting, story, length, and direction to it were all exciting to watch. It really does deserve to be at the top of everyone's movie lists.

Where do I begin with this film. Not only is it my favorite film of all time but it also contains my favorite script, favorite ending and favorite movie scene (Andy looking up at the rain and puting his arms in the air) of all time. The script is amazing and it definitely should have won the oscar over Forrest Gump. The performances are also great too. Freeman stealing the show with his emotional dialogue. Robbins playing the lead Andy Defrunse is amazing for what he does. He's a smart man who has a plan in order to get out. The filming is excellent all the way down to makeup is freaking excellent. The music is amazing and the film concludes with a phenomenal ending almost making me cry every time I watch it. Its a revolutionary film that should have won best picture. WIthout a doubt, the best film EVER Made!

Feels

Can't believe it's taken me 17 years to get round to watching this , but it was every bit as brilliant as I'd heard.

We Mainers tend to be very proud of anything that comes from, was made in, takes place in, or is in anyway related to this great state, however vague and distant that connection may be, especially if that thing is popular with the rest of the nation or, god forbid, the world. That's why we eat so much blueberry pie and wear LL Bean boots all the time. Shawshank is no exception.

Compelling, at times moving drama at first vividly captures prison life, but then makes it seem too easy to be believed. Writer-director Frank Darabont takes Stephen King’s unpretentious little prison story and gives it a slick coating of sentimental syrup. The movie treats its borrowed plot parts and banal themes as though they were freshly minted nuggets of wisdom. (I wouldn't be complaining if it didn't pretend to be anything more than a pleasant diversion.) Darabont knows how to tell a story. He just doesn't know how to tell one with any originality or depth.

On the plus side: Morgan Freeman is subtle, genuine, and captivating. Powerful score and majestic cinematography.