Decent film, highly overrated

Rating: 5/10 (21 December 2002)

I finally decided to see this film after reading good reviews and noting that this film ranks in IMDB's top ten list (currently #2). At the very least I disovered where all the noble people are: they're in prison!
The film is decent, but it certainly isn't what I would call great or extraordinary. There are good performances by Robbins and Freeman, but the pace of the movie is very slow and the cinematography is unremarkable. Characters are largely stereotypes, the story is somewhat formulaic (and sometimes ludicrous), and the noble prisoners vs wicked guards dichotomy is simplistic and unrealistic. I was also particularly annoyed at the narration, which always seemed to explain more than it needed to. As for the ending, I guess I was not as suprised as others since I did read the Stephen King novella many years ago. Still, given that the story takes place in a prison, you don't need to be a genius to guess part of it.
This movie reminds me of Dead Poets Society in terms of its tone and theme of uplifting the human spirit against a backdrop of despair. If that's your thing, you'll love the movie. It's not really my thing.
5/10