Touching, But a Theft Is a Theft

Rating: 6/10 (9 January 2002)

I can't help but feel emotional every time I see this film. Both Robbins and Freeman are excellent, and the supporting cast is good enough not to screw anything up, but they aren't spectacular.
One of the few complaints I have about the film is that it does get slow at times, and I find myself becoming a little bored. Another complaint I have is I wish the makers of Shawshank would give credit where credit is due for the amazing amount of scenes and ideas taken from Escape From Alcatraz, starring Clint Eastwood. How can so many critics claim that Instinct is derivative while none of them mention the fact that Shawshank Redemption is one of the most derivative movies of all time? Shawshank is significantly better than Alcatraz, and it does have important emotional elements that Alcatraz is void of; but a theft is a theft, and that won't change unless the makers of Shawshank start giving credit to Alcatraz. Here are some of the things stolen:
The digging tool being kept in a carved out bible and the somewhat funny irony that that entails.
The rapist encountering the star in the showers near the beginning of the film to set up further encounters.
An inmate at mealtime asking the star whether he will be eating something and then pulling out a small animal. I'm sure most Shawshank lovers thought that the whole bird thing was a completely original symbolic idea. Sorry, but even though the symbolism is well taken, it was FAR from original. The whole idea probably started with the mealtime animal scene, as it was obviously a direct steal.
The digging debris being emptied out of the star's pants during strolls.

The star befriending the black guy who can get you anything. True, Red is a much more important character, but this is definitely part of the theft.
There are several others that I have forgotten. And if Instinct had any cliché's, Shawshank certainly did, with the evil warden, the evil guard, the religion, the "highly intelligent" star, and the concentration on the "hole", where the star is always sent to burn for a while.

Despite all of this, I really do like Shawshank Redemption and will probably watch it many times in the future, but it absolutely amazes me that I have not seen or heard one single critic mention the robbery here. And as people became critic-following sheep with Instinct, they certainly did with Shawshank.
Jeremy Barger