A cinematic phenomenon

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2014)

What can I possibly add to a review corpus of over 1.2 million ratings and three thousand reviews? This movie has been called "one of the best movies of all time", "a powerful story about friendship, hope and freedom" and a "latter-day retelling of the Gospel story". Many people have seen this movie multiple times, and some claim it has changed their lives and even saved their lives.
At this point, I'm rather more interested in the phenomenon than the movie. My take on it: this movie appeals enormously to ordinary people (especially American men) who feel trapped by difficult situations in their lives. Some may be looking to be rescued, like Red was; others may take comfort in the thought that their long-term pain, tedium and oppression will someday result in a spectacular liberating event. This movie satisfyingly scratches that annoying itch called "life is unfair".
It's difficult to know what to think about all this. Whatever you think about the phenomenon, "Shawshank Redemption" is also just a good movie with excellent writing, black and white characters, a simple but satisfying plot with a few surprising scenes, great acting, and a certain amount of tear jerking. It's not a movie to be missed.