Masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2006)

My heart did back flips when I discovered that "The Shawshank Redemption" had been rated the #2 movie overall by users of the IMDb. There is little that can parallel my satisfaction of knowing that the viewing public can still tell excellent film when they see it, despite dangerous competition with other pictures of its time. Particularly in a year (1994) which saw the release of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction", family-friendly blockbuster "The Lion King", and the now-immortal "Forrest Gump" (all of which are, indeed, outstanding films) it would have been easy for "Shawshank" to glide under the radar of North American audiences of the time, and of future years. Yet here it stands, one of the most widely recognized and highly praised movies of the century.
But why? What of the films like "Forrest Gump", "The Lion King", and "Pulp Fiction"? How has "The Shawshank Redemption" stood stronger against the test of time than its award-sweeping, box office-smashing contemporaries? Much of the credit goes to writer Frank Darabont, whose screen adaptation of Stephen King's short story assembles the plot of the film in such a way, that this movie gets better and better every time you watch it, while all the time spelling out an inspiring and important message of hope and, as the titles indicates, redemption.
Brought to life by a stellar cast and splendid cinematography, "The Shawshank Redemption" is proof that given the time, the cream always rises to the top.