Summary

• The Shawshank Redemption had subtle issues that devoted fans should consider for a deeper understanding.
• Characters in the film are portrayed as either entirely good or evil, lacking moral complexity.
• The movie oversimplifies deep-seated institutional problems within the prison system, focusing instead on Andy and Red's personal story.

30 years on from its release, The Shawshank Redemption has 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 Redemption had to compete with both Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction, so it took a little while for audiences to finally recognize the film's quality. Decades later, The Shawshank Redemption is as popular as ever.

Although The Shawshank Redemption has 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 of The Shawshank Redemption should at least consider them. One of the reasons that The Shawshank Redemption has 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.

7 The Shawshank Redemption Could Have Taken More From Stephen King's Novel

King Writes Different Endings For Some Key Characters

There have been plenty of Stephen King movie adaptations, including several bona fide classics and a string of forgettable duds. Few authors have been so feverishly ired by the decision-makers in Hollywood, even if King's movies aren't necessarily sure-fire winners. The Shawshank Redemption is arguably the best movie based on his extensive body of work, right up there with The Shining, IT and Stand 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 of The Shawshank Redemption's deviations from the book enhance 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.

6 The Shawshank Redemption Is More Popular With Audiences Than Critics

Audiences May Overrate The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption tops 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 with The Shawshank Redemption. Rotten Tomatoes, Sight & Sound, the AFI, and many other respectable cultural institutions often produce their own movie rankings which take into the opinions of critics and filmmakers. The Shawshank Redemption never climbs too high on any of these lists.

The Shawshank Redemption is often ired for its emotionally intense story, but this has been perceived by some critics as maudlin and unnecessarily sentimental.

To understand The 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%, and The Shawshank Redemption is nowhere on the website's list of the 300 best movies ever. The Shawshank Redemption is often ired for its emotionally intense story, but this has been perceived by some critics as maudlin and unnecessarily sentimental.

5 The 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 its 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.

The The Shawshank Redemption are 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 Redemption could 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.

4 Deep-Seated Institutional Problems Are Oversimplified

There Are More Men Like Warden Norton

As well as watering down the morals of the characters, The Shawshank Redemption offers 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, but the movie asks its audience to conveniently ignore the men left behind in a system designed to oppress them. The Shawshank Redemption shows 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 Redemption isn'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.

3 Morgan 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 to The 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 of The 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 in The 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.

2 Red's Parole Seems Slightly Implausible

The Reasoning Behind The Parole Board's Decision Is Open To Interpretation

Red has three parole hearings in The 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 Redemption mostly 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 Redemption mostly 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.

1 The Ending Requires A Lot Of Luck

It's A Miracle That Red Makes It To Mexico

The The Shawshank Redemption delivers 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 in The Shawshank Redemption that 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.