Is The Shawshank Redemption the best film ever?

timesonline ^ | September 13, 2009

[JoeProBono]

Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption, has words for the millions of people who believe his 1994 prison drama is the greatest film of all time. “I think that’s a little crackers, to be honest, especially when you think of the other films on the list.” He means films such as The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Lolita, Vertigo and foreign-language contenders like Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist, Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt, Luis Buñuel’s Belle de jour or Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant.

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[guido911]

“Is The Shawshank Redemption the best film ever?”

No. That is all.

[edcoil]

I liked it but to be fair, the best film ever was “The Parent Trap.” both versions.

[MonicaG]

Negative. Australian film Dead Alive is far superior.

[freedumb2003]

Not even in the top 50. Maybe somewhere between 50 and 100.

[Reagan Man]

Best film ever?

NO way!

It is, one of the best films of the last 25-30 years, however.

[JoeProBono]

[Psycho_Bunny]

lololol....No

[ReneeLynn]

No.

[EGPWS]

Funny, you are.

[Ciexyz]

'Gladiator' is the best film ever made. "What we do in life echoes in eternity."

[savedbygrace]

No, and it’s not even a close call.

[TomServo]

[cripplecreek]

Top notch yes, best ever? Eh

Personally I prefered Green Mile. Incidentally both Written by King.

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[Tzimisce]

Personally I think all of Michael Moore’s “Documentaries” should be #1.....

[MikeWUSAF]

Not even in the top 50. Maybe somewhere between 50 and 100.

BUMP!

[BenLurkin]

[JoeProBono]

[freedumb2003]

Boondocks Saints

[angkor]

[jimfree]

It is, one of the best films of the last 25-30 years, however.

Far and away one of the best of the last quarter century - the only time I really enjoyed watching Tim Robbins.

[Judith Anne]

Second Hand Lion.

[MayflowerMadam]

The docudrama of the first female U.S. President, Sarah Palin, will be the best film ever.

[Blind Eye Jones]

Prison life and Fassbinder? Sure America just don’t bend down to pick up any liberal movie guides.

[freedumb2003]

[Judith Anne]

Green Mile was great. Shawshank was great.

But Second Hand Lions was best.

[McGruff]

Good movie but Lord of the Rings was much better.

[Jeff Chandler]

[Dacus943]

"Personally I think all of Michael Moore’s “Documentaries” should be #1....."

Why? Aint #2 a more fitting discription!

[cripplecreek]

In Shawshank redemption I didn’t end up hating the prison rapist or the warden despicable as they were. In Green mile, the acting left me hating Percy and Wild Bill. The ending was hard to watch because it was so heartbreaking.

[Chickensoup]

No it got a little PC about the prison rapists so homosexuals wouldnt be offended.

[death2tyrants]

[Paladin2]

I’m going to have to go with the original “Endless Summer” as there are too many ski movies to pick among.

[devane617]

NO.

[Red in Blue PA]

It’s my favorite (though of course I disagree with Robbins’ political beliefs)

[GreenAccord]

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, and obviously opinions range far and wide about movies, I’ll let imdb.com’s ranking system speak as it’s as close to a far-reaching, massive population sample of people’s opinions. And Shawshank ranks at the top of the list, even after 15 years since release.

So essentially, if ALL the people have continually ranked it the best, it’s hard to make an argument against it that doesn’t use a personal slant.

[devane617]

Speaking of Australian ...One of my favorite all-time movies is, “On The Beach,” with Gregory Peck, and Ava Gardner. There is a new version with Armand ?? forget his last name. The movie is about a submarine crew that exists after the northern hemisphere is filled with radiation from war. It is slowly migrating to the southern hemisphere...One of the best movies of all times.

[indylindy]

My hubby likes “Body Heat”.

[TADSLOS]

Funny you should mention it. I was thinking the same thing.

[Darkwolf377]

It's not even in my top 200.

It's always amusing to me how these kinds of movies are made about prisoners who aren't guilty. If the lib filmmakers really had the courage of their convictions, they'd be about GUILTY people in the system they are so worried about.

Yes, Freeman's character is guilty, but he's a supporting character, and is played as the most gosh-darned it guilty person--his defiance in front of the parole board is seen as heroic.

Great Freeman, great photography, great score, great last 20 minutes (without Robbins). That's it.

[Future Snake Eater]

LOL...ouch!

But I think "Manos" loses to this epic:

[LuvFreeRepublic]

The Shawshank Redemption is a great movie, but my favorite is We Were Soldiers, by Mel Gibson.

[devane617]

I watch that movie every time it is on. I have it on DVD, actually I have both versions on DVD. I think, there is a third version that was an Australian film before the GP version.

[Red in Blue PA]

The writing in Shawshank is simply brilliant. Well, most everything about it is.

Cannot believe that Firrest Gump won the Oscar that year!.......That is criminal.

[Darkwolf377]

The MST version.

[cripplecreek]

I’ve never seen the movie but I’ve read the book ‘On the beach” by Nevil Shute. Great read as well.

[sand lake bar]

On the Beach. Great film. Launched Fred Astaire’s comeback as a dramatic actor, made “Waltzing Matilda” a top 40 hit.