One of the best - of all time. Seriously.

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2011)

If there was such a thing as a perfect movie, this is it. Of course, for practical reasons, one cannot award a film ten stars out of ten, because of the endless stream of new work demanding scrutiny. I'd like also to start by quoting another well known film, which sums up my opinion nicely. 'In many ways, the work of a critic is easy- we risk very little, and thrive on negative criticism, which is amusing to write and to read. But the harsh truth of the matter is that the average piece of junk is probably more valuable than our criticism designating it so'. This could not be closer to the truth. When it comes down to the wire, critics risk everything in dishing out praise, for fear of being ridiculed themselves.
There can be no such danger with The Shawshank Redemption. It is an eternal masterpiece, timeless and inspiring. I avoid being clichéd, when it is at all possible to do so, but The Shawshank Redemption is beautiful, masterfully acted, with just that right amount of tenderness. This is a tale of moral courage, and the everlasting fight for justice. As with other films of the genre, one can tell what will happen, of course, but when you watch this film, you will time and again be genuinely surprised, and maybe even shed a tear for the persistence and unquenchable thirst of the human spirit. One leaps for joy after watching this incredible film, at the knowledge that evil, in all senses of the word, can, and will never triumph.
Turning an eye to the technical side of things, just for a moment, I can discern not one single badly executed shot. The Shawshank Redemption is well written, and, as I have said before, brilliantly acted. Characters that could be flat are all allowed to develop and flourish, and the film is even better for it. The film grabs our attention, right from the word go, with agitated shots of Andy looking like he IS going to kill his wife. And the soundtrack. Well, there isn't much to say; except that most of the music in this film is some of the most beautiful I have ever heard.
This is a deeply satisfying, wonderful, brilliant, fantastic, soulful cinematic work. Watch it, if you haven't seen it, and if you have, you must agree that this excellent film will be an eternal classic. There are, of course, films that people will prefer, I myself am strongly attracted to Subway, a 1985 film by Luc Besson, but for pure facial and objective value, cinema does not get much better than this.