One of the True Instant Classics

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2004)

I don't care what anybody says about this movie, it is simply great. I watched it for the first time, on a bootleg screener copy, back in early 1995. I used to get the Academy screeners, and I'd be so excited that I was getting movies that were still in theaters, that I'd watch some I normally wouldn't. Shawshank was one of those. Not the type of movie I would rush to see, but my family had watched it, so I gave it a shot. I fell in love with this movie after the very first viewing. It's one of those rare movies that seems to get better, each and every time you watch it. When I see it on TV, which is quite often, I find that it's hard to turn the channel. It's such a human movie. Just about everyone can relate to something in this film. If you can't appreciate a film like this, I truly feel sorry for you. This is what film-making is all about.