You've got to be kidding me (but I know you're not)...

Rating: Null/10 (8 July 2004)

I am dumbfounded by the exorbitant praise for this movie. It is almost frightening--like a cult. I watched it last night and was completely underwhelmed. This did not have have half the emotional charge of a dozen other prison flicks, not to mention other dramatic categories. Yes, the story was OK, good (not great) acting, but I found it to be largely insipid and predictable. It just did not grab me like other stories of redemption such as A Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life. As you can see by my citing these two films, I am not offended by cheesy sentimentality, if well done. Shawshank simply had nothing new to say or a new way to say it. The only reason I am writing this review is to demonstrate that there are indeed some people who are not swept away by this movie. Otherwise, I would not have bothered. The film simply was not interesting enough.