The greatest movie ever made is making an unexpected comeback on streaming. The title of being the best movie ever is a subjective one and is hotly debated by film fans and cinephiles. That’s where IMDb comes in, as the Internet Movie Database allows users to give movies star ratings, working out an aggregate score, and ranking the top 250 movies of all time. The list includes the likes ofThe Godfather Part 2,The Dark Knight, and12 Angry Men. But the top spot has long been held by one film, which many agree is the best film ever made. 31 years after it was initially released (and flopped at the box office), the film in question is climbing to freedom on the streaming charts.
Based on the novella,Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption(which was published in theDifferent Seasonsanthology),The Shawshank Redemptionstars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne,who is wrongfully imprisoned for the death of his wife and her lover. Incarcerated in Shawshank Prison, he befriends Red (Freeman), a lifer, as they serve their time under the corrupt Warden Norton (Gunton). The official synopsis reads:
“Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn’t commit the crimes. While there, he forms a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), experiences brutality of prison life, adapts, helps the warden, etc., all in 19 years.”
‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Was (Somehow) a Box Office Flop
Despite all the praise and accoladesThe Shawshank Redemptionhas received in the 31 years after its initial release, it’s easy to forget that audiences at the time didn’t care about the movie. The filmgrossed just $16 million during its theatrical run,against a budget of $25 million. Despite its initial failure,The Shawshank Redemptionis often hailed as a cinematic masterpiece. It holds a 9.3 rating on IMDb, making it the highest-rated film on the site.
It is also widely believed to contain thebest performances by Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins,even with the countless other high-profile and acclaimed films the pair have worked on. It’s a shock to many fans that the film didn’t win a single Oscar, and that audiences at the time didn’t appreciate what they were watching on the big screen.
The Shawshank Redemption
