Not as great as people say it is, but very good nevertheless

Rating: 9/10 (17 April 2020)

Compelling, fantastically acted, and superbly well written- The Shawshank Redemption can certainly be a slow ride- but one far worth the wait. Tim Robbins gives a tremendous and extremely underrated performance as Andy Dufresne, truly capturing the emotion, atmosphere, and pain that is all involved in a life of prison. Morgan Freeman also gives a rather good performance as well, and Robbins and him together make for quite a unique pair- not to mention their terrific chemistry. The film is very cleverly shot, and it housed to some of the greatest cinematic story elements (at least by the end) in film history. The biggest problem with The Shawshank Redemption is its criminally slow pace, which is by all means, reasonable, considering how long the characters have been in the prison, but you can't help but feel there is something missing as you stare bored at the screen in those moments- wondering if the writers, directors, or producers could have done just a little extra something to spice it up. In the end however, The Shawshank Redemption is a really good adaptation of King's work, and is clever in so many ways. It's performances are fantastic, especially from Robbins and Freeman, and may feel a bit dragged out, but contains some truly captivating moments.
My Rating: 9.25/10