The Shawshank Redemption (DVD, 2004, 2-Disc Set, Special Edition)

Tim Robbins stars as Andy Dufresne, a successful young banker who is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy is sent to Shawshank prison, a dour and depressing place where brutality from both guards and other prisoners is commonplace. Andy makes friends with Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman), a lifer who has already spent many years inside. Red specialises in smuggling items into the prison for the other prisoners. Red soon discovers that Andy is a most unusual prisoner, although at first it seems to do him little good – he is brutalised by other prisoners

He starts to get both other prisoners and guards on his side when he offers to help one of the most notorious guards with a tax problem in exchange for bottles of chilled beer for everyone in his work party. From then on, Andy always seems to be working on one thing or another. He improves the prison’s tiny library, and helps those prisoners who want to study. He also handles the guards’ tax returns, and even helps the swindling Warden (Bob Gunton) cook the books. Over the years, he gains the respect of most of the other prisoners and guards. More importantly, he never loses hope for the future – a hope he tries to pass on to the other prisoners. He never stops believing in life’s possibilities, but to make the most of them he needs to be free.

Based on the Stephen King (non-horror) novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, this is a simple story of hope made remarkable by the interaction between the two lead characters. Both Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman do a fine job in terms of making their roles genuine and appealing, and also in the way they work so well together. The production values throughout are outstanding, but this is not a “fancy” film. Rather, it sticks to the story it is telling without resorting to flashy tricks to grab the audience’s attention. Although there is violence, some of it extreme, it is necessary to show the kind of place the prison is and is certainly not gratuitous. The main theme is hope, not despair, and the violence serves only as a backdrop to that message. Unashamedly a feelgood movie, by the end one is wishing only that it would continue for a few more moments.

Everyone always complains about Steven King stories evolving into the cinema as being "unsavory"

This movie is a true masterpiece, and if anything, much better than the story.

The story was originally written by Steven King as a different title in the book Different Seasons. It was called "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"

I think the movie is even better than the book (largely due to Morgan Freeman and Timothy Robbins), but everything that shines in the movie is here in the book.

An innocent man, convicted of killing his wife and her lover, gives new meaning to the term patient resolve - and has a profound effect on some of his fellow prisoners. I think it's the ultimate prison story, as it shows us the good and the bad of prison life and imbues its characters with a humanity rarely seen in prison-based stories.

Definately worth watching, even more than once!

This is one of the greatest American films -- a great story matched with superb actors and terrific direction. It is widely held that Darabont's screenplay is a prime example of excellent storytelling, and even Stephen King has praised the film for improving on his short novella [i.e. some minor changes for the film medium actually made the story better].

Though available on DVD for several years, this deluxe edition is superior. The director actually made some minor changes to his original film -- a couple of continuity errors that had bothered him since the film's initial theatrical release -- and his commentary tracks are further illuminating of the craftsmanship that went into this film. This set also boasts numerous extras, including a funny parody starring Morgan Freeman's son.

I was delighted to finally win an eBay auction of this set -- previous auctions always went higher than my budget allowed, or were But It Now listings that had just been snagged by someone.

I'm very pleased with this item. When it arrived, I actually cancelled a dinner date so I could watch it.

Maybe I'm just too picky or my standards are too high, but that should give you an indication as to how GREAT this movie is. Describing the subject of this powerful story could make a person less interested, as I know I was almost tied down myself with zero interest. As the movie began to unravel, I thought 'interesting, but a little slow?' but don't let that discourage you in the LEAST. b/c when the final scene ended, my mouth was hanging on the floor - great surprise ending and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction - not just a wrap up to tie everything together, but a great story.

A little about the movie itself: it is one man's story of being in prison, but more so its about how powerful a man's will to live is even when being 'caged' so to speak. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman do a SUPERB portrayal of sucking you in to their character and making you feel what they do. It has many subtleties and is a movie I have watch more than ANY other. As an overall experience, this movie not only gets my highest of highest rating, but I have since realized that NO OTHER MOVIE in my lifetime will probably be as NEARLY as great as this movie, seriously. So if you've considered coming this far, come a little further and buy this movie - I swear you will thank me later. Thank you for reading my review and I hope this found you well...

This movie is based on a non-scary Stephen King novel and got nominated for 7 Oscars. Why it did not win one is a mystery, but it is such a powerful story that it has earned its place as a classic. The Shawshank Redemption is about the poetic justice of a wrongfully accused murder convict (Tim Robbins) who spends the majority of his adult life behind bars. He uses his skills and resources to make close friends (Morgan Freeman), and over years builds rapport with a corrupt corrections system that he eventually defeats. If you can read a novel for fun and like it, you will appreciate this movie and its ending.

There is some violence and adult situations (prison rape), but overall it makes a great date movie and a staple in your movie library.