description: When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some critics complained that the movie was too long (142'caminutes) to sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that f1i The Shawshank Redemption f0i0 builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among their all-time favorites. f1i --Jeff Shannon
uuid: C9BF7B82-A1E5-11D9-BBB6-000D936C95F6"
upc: 053939258325
title: The Shawshank Redemption
theatricalDate: 23-09-1994
stars: Tim Robbins Morgan Freeman
purchase date: 31-03-2005
publisher: Castle Rock
published: 03-02-2004
price: $19.97
net Rating: 4.8
MPAA Rating: R
last lookup time: 133967244.8567453
genre: Feature Film-drama
edition: DVD
director: Frank Darabont
currentValue: $17.99
created: 133967228.8492534
aspect: Color Closed-captioned Widescreen Dolby
asin: B0000399WI