• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

The Shawshank Redemption....

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lima

Member
nan0 said:
Funny, whenever the movie was mentioned I thought "This sounds awesome, you gotta watch it someday". Turns out I watched it already multiple times, the German title is totally different ("Die Verurteilten" - "The Convicts") and I never made the connection until I looked it up on Wikipedia some day.
Click to expand...

Funny thing is the OP is German and so the movie on German TV channel Vox yesterday and decided to make this thread.
 
K

krae_man

Member
Brinbe said:
Forever my goat.
I'll never tire of it, really.

Buncha fools being obtuse up in this thread.
Click to expand...


6p59M9Z.jpg
 
B

Bleepey

Member
Vincent Alexander said:
To this day I have still not seen this movie. I have hardly an inkling what it is even about. Some day I need to get around to watching it.
Click to expand...

You're depriving yourself. If a MIB neuraliser is ever made I'd love to experience Shawshank for the first time. One of the parts that always gets to me is the guy who got into prison before cars were a big thing and when he is released suddenly planes are ubiquitous and he is like "wtf is going on here" great way of showing the passage of time and how institutionalised he was. Shawshank is a perfect movie. I still find it funny that despite it being the example for magical negros in film, it's the exact opposite of that if you actually pay attention.
 
A

Ainsz

Member
Thoroughly enjoyable film and easily rewatchable. Not even close to the greatest of all time for me though. The story and setting is really dark and harrowing and portrays all kinds of exploitation and abuse in the penal system. While the pacing, soundtrack and dialogue give off this jolly adventure feel that verge just over the cheesy line. Especially that final scene.

It's probably intentional on the director's part to inject a bit of campness in to the film, so not to make the film too hard to watch for a wide audience. But that juxtaposition always made the film feel slightly off to me.
 
nkarafo

nkarafo

Member
The bad guy guard literally murdering one of the new inmates because he was crying
was the only bad scene in this movie for me. Way over the top and just for the shock value. Also, isn't it weird that the same people were running the prison for what, 30+ years?

Other than that, it's a masterpiece.
 
F

FortuneFaded

Member
Mousnis said:
The bad guy guard literally murdering one of the new inmates because he was crying
was the only bad scene in this movie for me. Way over the top and just for the shock value. Also, isn't it weird that the same people were running the prison for what, 30+ years?

Other than that, it's a masterpiece.
Click to expand...
In the book, there were multiple wardens.
 
L

LucidMomentum

Member
Mousnis said:
The bad guy guard literally murdering one of the new inmates because he was crying
was the only bad scene in this movie for me. Way over the top and just for the shock value. Also, isn't it weird that the same people were running the prison for what, 30+ years?

Other than that, it's a masterpiece.
Click to expand...

From what we've heard of US prisons it's not that uncommon on both counts, even today.
 
nkarafo

nkarafo

Member
LucidMomentum said:
From what we've heard of US prisons it's not that uncommon on both counts, even today.
Click to expand...
You mean wardens murdering inmates? I don't believe that. At least not in the way it happened in the movie were the warden just killed an inmate in front of other guards and all the other inmates, cold blood. He didn't just hit him on the back or legs to make him shut up and cause much pain (which would still be good enough to serve the movie's message that the guy is a "colossal asshole"). He went for the head, with the intend to kill. For the rest of the movie i was thinking "how the hell did he got away with this so easily"?

Also, this was an over the top scene because even for the particular warden, it didn't make sense. It probably would make some sense if this was a more experienced inmate who knew the warden. Then the warden would feel he is being antagonized or something. But this noob inmate didn't antagonize him, heck he was asking him for help. He wasn't aware that the guy is a murderer who kills whoever doesn't comply. So at least the warden should give him a warning beat-up, not just go for the kill day one... I mean, even the cartoony warden in The Midnight Express was far more sensible.
 
M

mclem

Member
Link said:
That's a big benefit of being based off of a novella. You don't have to sacrifice scenes to fit into a reasonable runtime. In fact, you can even expand on some to give them more depth.
Click to expand...

That's a reasonable point. However, one thing that *may* have been regarded as a sacrifice, I think worked to the film's benefit - the novella several different wardens over time, which is realistic but doesn't serve to build up a long-term character
and ultimately villain
of the authority figure overseeing the prison.
 
E

Enco

Member
meronpan said:
Really a GOAT candidate. I am generally a sucker for prison dramas, are there other titles that can be recommended?
Click to expand...
Papillon.

Shawshank is my top film. I watched Papillon much later and it blew my mind.

If you're going to watch it, don't watch any trailers. Just know it is slightly like Shawshank but also pretty different lol. Don't let the age put you off. It holds up really well from what I remember.

I haven't rewatched it to know if it's still awesome but I highly recommend it.
 
M

meronpan

Neo Member
Enco said:
Papillon.

Shawshank is my top film. I watched Papillon much later and it blew my mind.

If you're going to watch it, don't watch any trailers. Just know it is slightly like Shawshank but also pretty different lol. Don't let the age put you off. It holds up really well from what I remember.

I haven't rewatched it to know if it's still awesome but I highly recommend it.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Will have a look - sounds promising.
 
B

brianjones

Member
Escape from Alcatraz is a pretty decent watch too

has quite a few similarities to shawshank but more gritty 70s and less melodrama
 
Z

Zaru

Member
Goddammit GAF I've watched the film twice since this thread was made, in English and in German (the latter is notably worse)

HQ8csM4.gif
 
T

Transistor

Banned
I think it is 100% deserving of its long-time running as number one on the IMDB top 250. Such an amazingly powerful movie that I can easily watch over and over again
 
R

rickyson1

Member
I watched it a few years ago and it instantly became my new favorite movie ever

I even watched it a second time last year and I never re-watch things
 
D

dogstar

Banned
It is a cinema masterwok, and certainly in my top five. The score by Newman is also a masterwork and goes along way to drive the emotion. Road to Perdition gives me similar feels, and that is no doubt down to another stunning score by Newman.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A past abortion weighs heavy on me GAF
Drama 2 3
126
8K
Azelover replied
Music Licensing In Media - The Songs & Scenes Seared Into Our Minds And Hearts
Social Community
10
1K
GMCamaro replied
Avatar: The Way of Water | Review Thread
4 5 6 7 8
377
29K
sankt-Antonio replied
Ultros | Review Thread
Analysis Review
42
3K
touchfuzzy replied
Peter Moore: The Final Console Generation, MS going Third Party, and MS debated putting the original Halo on PlayStation
2 3
140
10K
Astray replied
Top Bottom