Hands down the Greatest Movie ever made

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2000)

Perhaps the only thing more remarkable than this masterpiece of a movie is the fact that neither Tim Robbins nor Morgan Freeman won Oscars for their performances. I would put Freeman's portrayal of Ellis Redding amongst the best performances ever in a movie...so moving, so powerful. And the fact that this film did not win Best Picture is all the more unsettling.
This movie isn't just about a couple of guys in prison. Anyone who sees that, well, that must be where the "1" ratings came from. The message of hope is so positively inspiring. This is a movie that immensely impacted my life, something I can't say about any other film. Forrest Gump? Sure it was a good movie, but it really was just about a slow-witted man on a bench discussing his life. It never should have won Best Picture. I'm not sure if the MPAA ever saw this movie, maybe that explains it. Not only was the acting magnificent, but the ending is one of the best in movie history. I'm a 19 year old male, and I can't remember the last time I cried for anything. But the final scene in The Shawshank Redemption reduced me to tears. If there is anyone reading this who has not seen this movie, you would be doing yourself a huge injustice if you didn't run to the video store immediately. I've seen all the "Great" movies -- Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Godfather (not to mention American Beauty, the most overrated movie ever), but none of them even comes so close as to compare to this movie. Plain and simple, the Shawshank Redemption is the best movie I have ever seen, and it will be a very long time before something better comes along. 20/10 if I could.