Summary
30 years on from its release,The Shawshank Redemptionhas only grown in reputation, but it has a few issues which often go overlooked. Frank Darabont’s Stephen King adaptation was nominated for seven Academy Awards. This success helped revive its reputation after an underwhelming run at the box office.The Shawshank Redemptionhad to compete with bothForrest GumpandPulp Fiction,so it took a little while for audiences to finally recognize the film’s quality. Decades later,The Shawshank Redemptionis as popular as ever.
AlthoughThe Shawshank Redemptionhas earned a sparkling reputation, there are some issues which come to light upon closer examination. While none of these issues are substantial enough to detract from the quality of the story and the performances, any true fan ofThe Shawshank Redemptionshould at least consider them. One of the reasons thatThe Shawshank Redemptionhas been able to retain such a devoted fan base is that it cuts to the core of the human spirit. However, this intense emotional connection is exactly what blinds some people to the movie’s more questionable elements.
7The Shawshank Redemption Could Have Taken More From Stephen King’s Novel
King Writes Different Endings For Some Key Characters
There have been plenty ofStephen King movie adaptations, including several bona fide classics and a string of forgettable duds. Few authors have been so feverishly admired by the decision-makers in Hollywood, even if King’s movies aren’t necessarily sure-fire winners.The Shawshank Redemptionis arguably the best movie based on his extensive body of work, right up there withThe Shining, ITandStand By Me. This doesn’t mean that the adaptation couldn’t have been even better, though, as there are some key changes.
Brooks' dramatic fate hammers home the movie’s point about institutionalization better than the book’s version. Other characters are more interesting in the novel.
Frank Darabont’s script takes a few liberties with Stephen King’s novel.Some ofThe ShawshankRedemption’s deviations from the bookenhance the narrative. For example, Brooks' dramatic fate hammers home the movie’s point about institutionalization better than the book’s version, which has him dying in a care home. Other characters could have been improved if Darabont had stuck to the book a little more. Warden Norton is allowed to resign in the book, but he doesn’t face jail time. This highlights the double standards of the criminal justice system, and the fact that powerful men are often shielded from the consequences of their actions.
6The Shawshank Redemption Is More Popular With Audiences Than Critics
Audiences May Overrate The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemptiontops the IMDB list of the 250 best movies of all time, which just goes to show how the movie has left a lasting impact on audiences over the last 30 years. The IMDB list uses audience scores, but critics are less unanimously enamored withThe Shawshank Redemption. Rotten Tomatoes, Sight & Sound, the AFI, and many other respectable cultural institutions often produce their own movie rankings which take into account the opinions of critics and filmmakers.The Shawshank Redemptionnever climbs too high on any of these lists.
The Shawshank Redemptionis often admired for its emotionally intense story, but this has been perceived by some critics as maudlin and unnecessarily sentimental.
To understandThe Shawshank Redemption’s skewed perception, one need only look at the difference between its Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 98% and its critical score of 89%. This is still impressive, but it’s not uncommon for movies to score 100%, andThe Shawshank Redemptionis nowhere on the website’s list of the 300 best movies ever.The Shawshank Redemptionis often admired for its emotionally intense story, but this has been perceived by some critics as maudlin and unnecessarily sentimental.
5The Characters Are Morally Simplistic
Everyone In Shawshank Is 100% Good Or 100% Evil
As soon as Boggs is disposed of, every prisoner in Shawshank is portrayed as a saint in gray overalls.Even Red, who openly admits that he is guilty of murder, is a sweet and generous man. The other inmates band together with an unusual sense of camaraderie, and there are none of the prison fights, riots or racially segregated gangs that are common in similar movies. All the conflict comes handed down from the men in power, namely Warden Norton and Captain Hadley. To contrast the noble and virtuous characteristics of the inmates, the guards are cartoonishly evil.
The other inmates band together with an unusual sense of camaraderie, and there are none of the prison fights, riots or racially segregated gangs that are common in similar movies.
Thecast of characters inThe Shawshank Redemptionare divided along clear lines between good and evil. This simplistic approach robs the story of any potential moral nuance. Andy Dufresne teaches his fellow prisoners to free their souls through music and literature, and his escape is capped by him spreading his arms wide in a pose perhaps meant to evoke Jesus on the cross. Rather than the narrative of good prisoners and bad guards,The Shawshank Redemptioncould have been more interesting if it had shown less difference between the two camps. The only thing separating the men then would be the side of the bars they find themselves on.
4Deep-Seated Institutional Problems Are Oversimplified
There Are More Men Like Warden Norton
As well as watering down the morals of the characters,The Shawshank Redemptionoffers a simplistic view of prisons and criminal justice in general. It’s Andy’s story, so it makes sense that his escape is a moment of great triumph, butthe movie asks its audience to conveniently ignore the men left behindin a system designed to oppress them.The Shawshank Redemptionshows the horrors of prison life, but it stops short of addressing the issue head-on or proposing anything more radical than individual liberation and momentary victories.
The difference between Norton and countless other prison wardens who are allowed to exploit their prisoners for free labor is that he skims from the top.
The Shawshank Redemptionisn’t based on a true story, and there are moments that ignore the complexities and the mess of real life altogether. In the same way that destroying the Death Star topples the entire Galactic Empire, Warden Norton’s death is supposed to symbolize an end to his cruel practices. The issue is that Norton is not some singular crook, he is merely a symptom of the correctional system’s faults. The difference between Norton and countless other prison wardens who are allowed to exploit their prisoners for free labor is that he skims from the top.
3Morgan Freeman’s Narration Doesn’t Add Much Insight
Red Has A Beautiful Way With Words, But Many Of His Quotes Are Superfluous
Morgan Freeman brings a lot of style and personality toThe Shawshank Redemption, and it remains one of his most iconic roles 30 years later. Freeman plays Red, a prisoner serving a life sentence for murder who narrates Andy’s story. This narration provides many ofThe Shawshank Redemption’s best quotes, but it rarely scratches beneath the surface of the action which appears on screen. Red plays the role of a poet who puts words to the extreme emotion inThe Shawshank Redemption.Freeman’s warm and comforting voice makes his quotes stand out even more, but a lot of them are unnecessary.
Red is positioned as the one man with an insight into the silent and mysterious Andy Dufrene, but his narration doesn’t deliver much of this insight.
One of the most fundamental rules of screenwriting is that it’s better to show the audience something than to tell them something. An over-reliance on narration is often seen as a crutch for this very reason. Red states several times that he fears that he’s becoming institutionalized like Crooks, but it’s far more powerful to see him offering only a meek puff into a harmonica, unsure of how to let himself be free. Red is positioned as the one man with an insight into the silent and mysterious Andy Dufrene, but his narration doesn’t deliver much of this insight.
2Red’s Parole Seems Slightly Implausible
The Reasoning Behind The Parole Board’s Decision Is Open To Interpretation
Red has three parole hearings inThe Shawshank Redemption,each spaced a decade apart. For his first two, he repeats the same rehearsed speech verbatim about how he considers himself to be fully rehabilitated and no longer a danger to society. After Andy’s escape, he changes tact and speaks from the heart. His fiery speech grants him his freedom, but the reasoning behind this decision is slightly opaque. At the very least, there are many different interpretations as to why the parole board granted his request on this occasion.
The Shawshank Redemptionmostly shows that the prison system wants inmates to stay quiet and keep their heads down, so Red’s defiant speech would likely be cause for concern.
It’s possible that the parole board thought that Red had lost all hope and dropped his sincere act, making him a safe bet to re-enter society.A more pessimistic view might suggest that Red’s release is much more random. It could be based on his age, or the fact that the parole board’s decisions are arbitrary coin tosses. Either way, it’s hard to ignore the undercurrent of rage and nihilism in Red’s speech.The Shawshank Redemptionmostly shows that the prison system wants inmates to stay quiet and keep their heads down, so Red’s defiant speech would likely be cause for concern.
1The Ending Requires A Lot Of Luck
It’s A Miracle That Red Makes It To Mexico
Theending ofThe Shawshank Redemptiondelivers a beautiful moment of catharsis, as Andy and Red are reunited outside the prison walls with the seemingly infinite expanse of the Pacific Ocean beside them to symbolize their new beginnings. However, the story rushes through Red’s journey from Maine to Mexico. He’s sent on a strange odyssey by Andy which involves a postcard, some buried treasure, and the memory of a town that they spoke about once during the two decades they spent together inside Shawshank. It’s remarkable that Red managed to make it to the beach at all.
Red is sent on a strange odyssey by Andy which involves a postcard, some buried treasure, and the memory of a town that they spoke about once.
There’s an argument to be made that Red’s improbable journey never truly happens.For him, it’s more important to believe in the idea that Andy represents, that a bright future is within his grasp if he can reach out and grab it with both hands. Red talks a lot about hope in his closing monologue. Perhaps it’s the hope of seeing Andy on a beach in Mexico that keeps him from the same fate as Brooks. Andy says earlier inThe Shawshank Redemptionthat there are some things which can’t be taken from a man. For Red, this is the dream of being truly free, in every sense of the word.
The Shawshank Redemption
Cast
The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy Dufresne, a banker sentenced to life in Shawshank prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. While incarcerated, he befriends fellow inmate Red and uses his financial skills to assist the corrupt warden, all while maintaining his hope and integrity.
