The Shawshank Redemption
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 8 drama films
People praise its absorbing, easy-to-rewatch story of injustice; critics find it schmaltzy, manipulative and clichéd.
People praise its absorbing, easy-to-rewatch story of injustice; critics find it schmaltzy, manipulative and clichéd.
26 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 18
- criticize it
- 8
- approval share
- 69%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 18 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Exceptional, favorite, memorable film
“Everything about it is depressing and somehow it’s the best movie ever.”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “The movie is exceptional which made all of the rest of it possible.”
Comment from 28 Jul 2026 in “How did The Shawshank Redemption become the highest rated #1 movie on IMDB?” “This is one of my favorite movies”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” - Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"”
Absorbing, easy to rewatch
“sitting down and just watching it, even though you’ve seen it countless times”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “absorbs us and takes away the awareness that we are watching a film”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “It's just such an easy watch.”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” Strong Stephen King adaptation
“Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption are good examples of the adaptation being an improvement”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “A Man Who Reads Books for a Living (One Every Two Days)” “Based on a Stephen King short story, I'm a fan.”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “The Shawshank Redemption adaptation is great.”
Comment from 14 Oct 2026 in “The Gold-Bug: Edgar Allan Poe's story that taught me about cryptography (2024)” Appeals to a broad audience
“she felt it was an incredible film that deserved a wider audience”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “It has elements that appeal to a broad audience”
Comment from 28 Jul 2026 in “How did The Shawshank Redemption become the highest rated #1 movie on IMDB?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Schmaltzy, manipulative, clichéd Freeman folksiness
“Morgan Freeman can make even the lamest cliches sound "deep"”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “Schmaltzy and manipulative. Freeman's folksiness is eye-rollingly clichéd.”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “I find it pretty dull, manipulative and schmaltzy.”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” Too simple, feels like a kids movie
“as an adult, it's feels like a kids movie. Nothing else holds up.”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “it was a bit too uncomplicated to me and smacks of”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"”
Other drama films people recommend
The four most recommended other drama films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Shawshank RedemptionThis page | 18 | 8 | 69% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Good Will Hunting | 10 | 5 | 67% | 3 | — | — |
| Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky | 9 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | — |
| The Lives of Others | 8 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Margin Call | 7 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
25 of the 28 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The Shawshank Redemption adaptation is great.”
“It has elements that appeal to a broad audience”
“The movie is exceptional which made all of the rest of it possible.”
“Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption are good examples of the adaptation being an improvement”
“Absolute bomb at the BO that ended up being not just a classic but won like a millions Oscars as well”
“Schmaltzy and manipulative. Freeman's folksiness is eye-rollingly clichéd.”
“It's just such an easy watch.”
“That movie was the first thing I thought of the day I learned the meaning of the word.”
“Morgan Freeman can make even the lamest cliches sound "deep"”
“as an adult, it's feels like a kids movie. Nothing else holds up.”
“I think Shawshank is overrated.”
“I find it pretty dull, manipulative and schmaltzy.”
“it was long at 142 minutes”
“she felt it was an incredible film that deserved a wider audience”
“Excellent, memorable scene.”
“I feel that anyone that has ever suffered an injustice (and who hasn’t at some time or another) can relate to this film.”
“The title of the play also differed from the movie, Rita Hayworth: Last Exit, which feels somewhat like a spoiler”
“sitting down and just watching it, even though you’ve seen it countless times”
“Based on a Stephen King short story, I'm a fan.”
“it was a bit too uncomplicated to me and smacks of”
“It's a fine movie, agreed.”
“Everything about it is depressing and somehow it’s the best movie ever.”
“This is one of my favorite movies”
“absorbs us and takes away the awareness that we are watching a film”
“This, I thought, takes away the whole redemption aspect of the movie, turning Andy into an innocent Mary Sue.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.