All-time prison film classic

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2016)

Based on a novella by Stephen King, this is better than even THE GREEN MILE and goes to show that you don't need supernatural elements in a prison story – the setting is enough to carry a film as it is. SHAWSHANK often shows up as the "best film of all time" on various movie lists - including here on the IMDb - and, whilst I don't necessarily agree about that, it is a very good film indeed, near flawless in fact.
Every technical element of the film is spot-on, from direction to music, editing, and acting; Morgan Freeman delivers his best ever performance whilst Tim Robbins shows us what a great character actor he is. Even better, for a genre fan like me, is seeing acting favourites like Clancy Brown, William Sadler, Brian Libby, and James Whitmore all appearing in the film together and playing more than just stock good or bad guy roles. Every actor is great here, and the script (which sticks closely to King's writing) is nigh-on perfect. Emotion, thrills, drama, and the triumph of the human spirit are all present in this movie, which is one of the greatest prison flicks ever.