The Shawshank Redemption 1994

Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune: Simply marvelous entertainment. Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: Without a single riot scene or horrific effect, it tells a slow, gentle story of camaraderie and growth, with an ending that abruptly finds poetic justice in what has come before. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: A passing reference to 'The Count of Monte Cristo' offers a partial clue to what makes this movie compelling. Read more

Boston Globe: It's a simple story elegantly, cleverly told, not to mention expertly acted. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: With his gift for rapt pauses, for caressing just the right syllable, Freeman can make a speech like that sound like one of the philosophical nuggets of the ages. Read more

Dave Kehr, New York Daily News: This is an engagingly simple, good-hearted film, with just enough darkness around the edges to give contrast and relief to its glowingly benign view of human nature. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The Shawshank Redemption is all about hope and, because of that, watching it is both uplifting and cathartic. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: If the film is perhaps a little slow in its middle passages, maybe that is part of the idea, too, to give us a sense of the leaden passage of time, before the glory of the final redemption. Read more

Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle: Thanks to fine performances and beautiful photography, you get that inspirational jump-start frame after frame. Read more

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: Freeman, who is simply a great actor, a man who has never struck a false note in his career, both narrates this tale and anchors it with his authoritative playing. Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: ...a throwback to the kind of serious, literate drama Hollywood used to make. Read more

Leonard Klady, Variety: A testament to the human spirit... Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: It wanders down subplots at every opportunity and ignores an abundance of narrative exit points before settling on the aforementioned finale. Read more

Rita Kempley, Washington Post: It's a devoutly old-fashioned, spiritually uplifting prison drama about two lifers who must break their emotional shackles before they can finally become free men. Read more