A marvel of filmmaking...

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2000)

As near to perfect as a movie can get, "The Shawshank Redemption" is absolutely superlative entertainment. I keep wondering at those who claim the movie is too long (as many also did for the fantastic "Green Mile"). I wonder if MTV, television newscasts, commercials and other things have destroyed the attention span of several generations of people. Nobody seems to be able to stick with anything for more than an absolute maximum of two hours anymore. It's a disappointing trend, because often a great story cannot be told in the usual 120-minute maximum alloted to most films.
If you have the attention span to watch a film longer than two hours, movies just don't get any better than this one does. Don't look for realism (try PBS or any documentary for that), look for plot, acting talent and (above all): Simply a good, satisfying tale! The Shawshank Redemption has it all, in spades, and Frank Darabont is on his way to an absolutely stellar directing career. Kudos to Stephen King as well for his excellent novella, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," which obviously helped make this film possible. 10/10.