Die Verurteilten

Two imprisoned men (Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

Is this the greatest film of all time? IMDb would have you believe so. Despite being a box office flop (that barely recouped its budget), the film received multiple award nominations and outstanding reviews from critics for its acting, story, and realism. It has since been successful on cable television, VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray.

And it deserves this praise that seems to be growing each year. Now twenty years old, the film has not aged a day, and instead seems to be getting better. This is Tim Robbins' best role, and a fine performance from the always wonderful Morgan Freeman.

One of the finest films made in recent years. It's a poignant story about hope. Hope gets me. That's what makes a film like this more than a movie. It tells a lesson about life. Those are the films people talk about 50 or even 100 years from you. It's also a story for freedom. Freedom from isolation, from rule, from bigotry and hate. Freeman and Robbins are majestic in their performances. Each learns from the other. Their relationship is strong and you feel that from the first moment they make contact with one another. There is also a wonderful performance from legend James Whitmore as Brooks.

He shines when it is his time to go back into the world, only to find that the world grew up so fast he never even got a chance to blink. Stephen King's story is brought to the screen with great elegance and excitement. It is an extraordinary motion that people "will" be talking about in 50 or 100 years.

It is no wonder that the film has such a high rating, it is quite literally breathtaking. What can I say that hasn't said before? Not much, it's the story, the acting, the premise, but most of all, this movie is about how it makes you feel. Sometimes you watch a film, and can't remember it days later, this film loves with you, once you've seen it, you don't forget.

The ultimate story of friendship, of hope, and of life, and overcoming adversity.

I understand why so many class this as the best film of all time, it isn't mine, but I get it. If you haven't seen it, or haven't seen it for some time, you need to watch it, it's amazing. 10/10.

I have never seen such an amazing film since I saw The Shawshank Redemption. Shawshank encompasses friendships, hardships, hopes, and dreams. And what is so great about the movie is that it moves you, it gives you hope. Even though the circumstances between the characters and the viewers are quite different, you don't feel that far removed from what the characters are going through.

It is a simple film, yet it has an everlasting message. Frank Darabont didn't need to put any kind of outlandish special effects to get us to love this film, the narration and the acting does that for him. Why this movie didn't win all seven Oscars is beyond me, but don't let that sway you to not see this film, let its ranking on the IMDb's top 250 list sway you, let your friends recommendation about the movie sway you.

Set aside a little over two hours tonight and rent this movie. You will finally understand what everyone is talking about and you will understand why this is my all time favorite movie.

I've lost count of the number of times I have seen this movie, but it is more than 20. It has to be one of the best movies ever made. It made me take notice Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins like I had never noticed any actors before.

I have from a very young age been a huge fan of anything Stephen King writes and had already read the short story that this movie is based on years prior to seeing this movie.

Not everything Stephen King has written that gets turned into a movie comes out well, but this is as close to perfection as it gets and has everything you could ever want in a movie.

Something that is outstanding is the fact that it has no real action, no special effects and no gimmicks. 99% of the movie is just men in a prison uniforms talking. Yet it absolutely hooks you almost from the beginning and has you glued to the screen to the end.

For me what really makes this film one of the best is the message of eternal hope it conveys throughout. The never ever give up hope attitude of the main character so well conveyed by Tim Robbins. The ending is just spine tingling every time I see it, no matter how many times I have seen it.

Brilliant, brilliant movie and a must see for everyone.