Norton: "Am I blind?" Kailyn: "Just obtuse." 👍👍

This movie has the absolute best tone shift in any movie ever. I mean it goes from completely hopeless to victorious

This is Stephen King's favorite movie that is based off his work. He didn't even cash the check that he was paid for the movie rights, framing it instead. Then he sent it back to Frank Darabont, the director, with a note saying something like if you ever need bail money, break glass. Love, Steve.

I'm 50. Watched this movie in the theater in a time when it was all about word of mouth. I so appreciate young people embracing a classic. Nice one.

BTW, the line "why do they call you red?" "i dont know, maybe it's because i'm irish" was included as a joke referencing the stephen king book (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption) the movie was based on. In the book, his character was a white, red headed irish man. When they cast the role they auditioned many white red heads but after freeman auditioned, they couldn't see anyone but him in the role, despite being a black man. Yes, his nickname comes from his last name being Redding, but they included the line "maybe it's because i'm irish" as a joke referencing the original novel character. also, my favourite detail of this movie is how when brooks leaves, the backdrop is the prison, its his whole life. when red leaves, the POV is facing out of the prison and beyond.

You now see why this is the number one ranked movie on the IMDB website. They just don't make them like this anymore.

Oh man, if you didn't know about King's non-Horror stuff, please check out The Green Mile and Stand By Me.

Today, in my state (Wisconsin), a warden and 8 other members of the Waupun Correctional Facility were arrested for various misconduct crimes. Four prisoners died over the past year due to the misconduct and neglect. We may be in the 21st century, but we still have a long way to go in the struggle to eliminate prison cruelty and misconduct.

It's such a touching act that Red carves his name next to Brooks' in the rooming house wall. Brooks is no longer all alone by himself.

Fun fact…the younger Red in the mugshot was actually Morgan Freeman’s real life son.

"They couldn't kill people like that in prisons today right?" Two words: Smeffrey Smepstein

Red lecturing Andy about the dangers of hope. Red`s last whispered sentence of the movie "I hope". I remember watching this movie as a teenager by accident when I was sick and zapping through the TV at night cause I couldn`t sleep and I was absolutely stunned. Probably have seen it two dozen times by now, what a masterpiece.

Movies like this coming out when me and my friends were like 15-16 taught us a lot about real brotherhood. I still remember us talking more than once about how your real friends would look out for you like those two did. I’ve known those same 6 guys since childhood and save one who passed away we are still best friends and I’m now a few years shy of 50.

There’re no cameras back then so the prison can claim the inmates got injured in a fight with another prisoner.

"You just put a target on your back!" - Most prophetic comment ever!

The scene when the new bus of prisoners arrive and the one young guy behind the fence is mimicking a fishing pole and yelling "Reelin' 'em in, Reelin' 'em in!" is Morgan Freeman's son.

He obviously planned his escape for when there is a thunderstorm

I spent 8 years in prison. Believe me, some of the guards can be extremely cruel. "Accidents" can happen and prisons are so insulated from the outside world, many things can be covered up that would surprise people who have never been a part of that world.

Morgan Freeman turned 87 on June 1st, Eric & Kailyn. The Shawshank Redemption premiered 30 years ago on September 23, 1994. Shawshank was directed by Frank Darabont. In his early career, he was primarily a screenwriter for such horror films as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), The Blob (1988) and The Fly II (1989). As a director, he is known for his film adaptations of Stephen King novellas and novels, such as The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), and The Mist (2007). Darabont also developed and executive-produced the first season and first half of the second season of the AMC horror series The Walking Dead (2010-2011).

I feel like this is in most people’s top 5 movies, at least. I almost forget to mention it just cause it’s such a certified classic but yeah, def one of my favorites

If you hated the warden in this just wair til you meet Percy in the Green Mile. Makes the warden look like a choir boy.

The Rita Hayworth film they watched was "Gilda" ( 1946 ), Eric & Kailyn.

Stephan king is a master of characters. He writes them so well

Shawshank Redemption is the most complete film in every aspect of filmmaking. The piano refrain as Red is talking about "I hope" hits me every time. Brooks said ought Five. As in 1905 is when he was put in Shawshank. Which is why automobiles were so new to him.

Ive never seen this channel before, but Im just blown away that anyone over the age of 30, hasnt seen Shawshank, one of the greatest movies ever!

Here's a new sub info snack- Brooks ended up at Shawshank after another very bad night at gambling, came home and murdered his wife and young daughter. Red cut the brakes on his girfriends car. Jake the bird was found dead not too long after being set free. Love the channel, looking forward to the other Frank Darabont masterpiece - The Green Mile, also from Stephen King.

Inmates do die in prisons today. Many times police describe their death as accidental or self inflicted. An example of this is Sandra Bland. There is another case that involved a woman and a police officer. The police officer claims she fell. Her face was bloody and teeth were missing like someone punched her repeatedly. The camera in the room with the woman cuts out with the police officer and the woman in the same room and cuts back on when she is on the ground with facial beatings and the police next to her concerned for her condition. The woman claims the police officer did attack her and there was an investigation. However, other fellow police officers "misfiled" all the evidence against the officer so the case couldn't move forward for lack of evidence. In other words evidence collected that was supposed to go in a file cabinet under a specific alphabet was placed in another file cabinet and they couldn't find it. Sometimes the police officers when they are about to talk about something illegal will say to each other with bodycams on "turn off audio." So yeah it does go on today.

...I hope. I'm almost 60 and I bawl like a baby every time I hear Red say that at the end. Morgan Freeman's narration is mesmerizing throughout the last act. The "truth is, I don't want to know" line after the Italian ladies are singing is probably my favorite moment.

So glad you noticed that the rock hammer was hidden in the book of Exodus, which is about escaping slavery. So many reactors miss that fact.

"Stand By Me" is another great film based on a Stephen King novella that is definitely NOT a horror story.

In our lifetimes, we'll probably only get a dozen or two greatest-ever films. This is one of those.

You are the first reactor I've seen who caught the small, yet significant detail of the rock hammer being hidden in the book of Exodus.

How a death from a prison guard beating death happened back than was they were buried in the prison graveyard and a notation was made in their file that the prisoner died of pneumonia.

For every guy out there who is doing it tough and feeling hopeless out there my heart and prayers go out to you. Don't walk it alone. Have a safe Mens Mental Health Month.

Get busy living or get busy dying😢😢😢😢

This is the movie that taught me the term "institutionalized". In the most brutal way possible.

The Rita Hayworth movie is "Gilda" from 1946. The Stephen King story this movie is based on is called "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption". I would absolutely LOVE if you react to "The Green Mile" next. It's another movie based on a Stephen King novel and has the same director as Shawshank, Frank Darabont. I'm following your "Breaking Bad" journey, too. Looking forward to see you react to "Better Call Saul" after that.

"Would a pencil be a weapon?" Me: "I'm guessing they haven't watched "John Wick" yet lol..."

Omg the looks on your faces when someone is getting beaten

I haven’t watched this in years, thanks for the excuse to revisit it!

When i think of what a perfect movie is i think " Shawshank Redemption "

34:56 Y’all should definitely watch “The Count of Monte Cristo” from 2002 starring Jim Caviezel. A highly underrated film. Greatest book to movie I know. Hatred, Betrayal, Jealousy, Revenge, Vengeance, Redemption, Romance all in one. One of my all-time faves :))

So far for me, your reactions to this film are the best, I really love your reactions ❤

Salvation lies within is the greatest line in movie history

Frank Darabont and the whole cast and crew knocked this one out of the park. Even just watching reactions to this movie, it still gets me. Highly recommend "The Green Mile" if you haven't seen it.

This is a movie that definitely deserves a rewatch to fully appreciate all the genius details that are woven into the story.

Norton slowly walking into Andy's solitary cell telling him what will happen if everything stops is a great performance. It encapsulates the warden's evil nature, and it almost turns the entire film into a horror story. Darabont does a great job with King's material imo.

Brooks says he was in since 1905. Tommy comes to the prison in 1963, the music and his look are from the 50's. The movie Rita Hayworth is in is Gilda (1946)

It's so hard to believe that there are people that haven't seen this movie! Not really but I always just want people to love it as much as I do.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

Frank Darabont is an A class director. Shawshank.., The Green Mile, The Mist, the first seasons of The Walking Dead... all those movies based on Stephen King's books. This movie, is the best prison movie ever and must be one of the best movies in cinema history. I can't stop watching the scene where Andy offers his help to the violent prison guard. That sunset with all the guys drinking beer thanks to him, is cinema at its best, for sure. Excelent reaction !

My first reaction of yours, and it’s a great one. Love your overall presentation and editing choices. And thanks for taking your time and not cutting it too short. So many reactors try to present something like this in 35 minutes, and it seldom works. I haven’t looked at your roster yet, but will, and I hope to watch more. So far as prison realities, things were often horribly corrupt during earlier decades. There was very little oversight, and quite a few horror stories are documented. Guards were sometimes worse than the inmates.

Frank Darabont is a legendary director, I suggest his film "The Green Mile", also a Stephen King adaptation

The picture of Red on his Prison file is actually his Son, who is also the Con at the start, shouting Fresh Fish today.

1994 gave us Shawshank, Forrest Gump, and Pulp Fiction, The Mask... among other great movies

The prison used for Shawshank had been shut down and scheduled for demolition until the studio rescued it. It is still standing and their are tours.

The Brooks sequence always boggles my mind. He went into prison in a world of horse & buggies and dirt roads. When he gets out, it's like 3rd generation cars. It would be a lot to process.

Andy went to prison in 1947, however, his first encounter with Red is in 1949 as Red notes. In the Stephen King novela "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, " the character of Red was originally Irish, however, when director Frank Darabont was casting for the film, he wanted Mogan Freeman for the role. The script was changed to address this issue. So, when Red explains his name, he quips, "Maybe it's because I'm Irish. Any reader of the Stephen King book would immediately get the joke.

Not a single tear or a sniffle at the end of that movie... You two are SOULLESS!

small feedback: beside the discussion of the alphabetization system and trying to remember when Kennedy was killed, which consumed too many seconds in my opinion, while dialogue was going on in the movie, it was a clean and great reaction. Kailyn is very clever on catching clues. The look of surprise on your faces after learning of the escape was really good.

That was why Andy wanted to know the name of the prisoner Hadley beat to death at the beginning so he could add it to his damning evidence. At that point, it was the first crime Andy witnessed at Shawshank.

Red never plays the harmonic, of course, however when he arrives in Buxton looking for the oak tree, they add it to the score music. Nice touch.

"Would a pencil be a weapon?" Such a simple line got me giggling lol. If you know you know. 😂

The second Stephen King/Frank Darabont collaboration is "The Green Mile." You should watch that one too.

For a couple of other great Morgan Freeman films, see Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven. Both Oscar winners directed by & co-starring Clint Eastwood.

In the book Red is Irish. I believe that he mentioned "Maybe I'm Irish" in reference to the book. This was also the time when prison reform had not happened yet. Reform did not occur till the late sixties and the early 70s. I remember all the prison riots. Lastly, the redemption is about Red realizing hope.

There are several youtubers who are ex-convicts and they talk about their experiences in prison. How things are smuggled in, how they hide things, how they interact with other inmates etc.. A lot of it sounds like long-boring days of being in the same rooms and going to the same exercise yard, eating the same food and endless repetition... mixed in with some brief moments of absolute horror and violence. My plan is to never experience any of it.

I remember someone noting that this is a movie about a long-lasting male friendship. That's not something you see very often depicted in movies. Plenty of "buddy movies" but not many male versions of something like "Beaches."

The most heartbreaking part of this film, as brilliant as it is in so many ways. Is Brooks sitting in the park alone waiting for Jake...I can relate. I could listen to Morgan read a phonebook and be content... -Brooks was here

That place where most of the movie was filmed is the Ohio State Reformatory. The man on the bus behind Tommy Williams is a retired guard from the Ohio State Reformatory. Several real life prison guards offered to meet with Clancy Brown and advise him on how to make his performance more convincing, but he turned them down because his character is evil and he didn't want his performance to make any of them look bad.

The movie's original ending was Red on the bus heading to Texas, but test audiences wanted to see him actually reunite with Andy so the producers ended up having the director film the beach scene later on in post-production.

Loved your reaction to this amazing movie. It is one of my favorite movies of all times. The more I re-watch it the more I notice tiny nuances that make such a strong statement. One of those things is when Brooks thinks about breaking his parole he says: "So that they would send me HOME" When Red thinks about breaking his parole he says: "So that they would send me BACK" One word makes all the difference in the world showing that there is still Hope in Red and he is not fully institutionalized like he thought. There are many small details like that in the movie It truly is a movie that is amazing on the first watch and then just gets better the more you re-watch it. Looking forward to more reactions from you. I really liked Kailyn based opinion on the movie quality of today. It is refreshing to hear an honest opinion and not just shilling for the crap that is made today. Like the garbage Disney keeps making. P.S. An honest and well meaning advice: Do not waste your time with the Acolyte nobody who would love that reaction is worth having as a subscriber. There are so many amazing movies out there that you could watch and attract good and intelligent thinking people. I would recommend watching "Scent of a woman" another amazing classic.

If no one has mentioned it yet, the name of the black and white movie when Andy asks Redd to get Rita Hayworth, the name of the movie is Gilda. Great movie BTW! You could call it a psychological thriller for the time. Rita Hayworth was a bombshell in her day.

They sat on that roof drinking cold beers and felt like free men, but Morgan was the only real FREEMAN.

Easily one of the best movies ever put to film. I'm so glad you took the time to enjoy it.

YES! Finally! A movie reaction that noticed the hammer's cutout in Andy's Bible opened on the Book of Exodus. A fitting detail.

I grew up with a neighbor friend who took a very different path than I did. He's been in & out of prison forever and he just got out a couple of days ago. He's got some crazy stories. He was just telling me about how he earned a bunch of "good time" from school, classes, other programs, etc. and how he should've gotten out a month or so earlier but they were dragging their feet and didn't file his paperwork in time. So, some things are different now but a lot is pretty similar. People tend to not care about what happens to prisoners. It doesn't tend to garner news articles, people just don't care as much. It's kind of sad.

If you watch again, notice how nervous Andy was when the Warden had his bible knowing the rock hammer was inside.

This is a great movie. I’m glad you two are doing classic movies!

They filmed this in a real prison. It was no longer used. Brooks came to Shawshank in 1905. Almost all his life was there. That's why in his letter he talks about committing a crime so he could go home, Shawshank. Things changed rapidly in the 20th century. So sad for him. 😢 It's more about Red's redemption.

The next logical step in movies to watch, if you haven't seen it already, is The Green Mile. It has the same director who adapted it from a book by the same author. The thing with the bible and the cut-out for the rock hammer is it was the same bible that the Warden took from Andy when he visited him in his cell to "size him up."

Kailyn don't let Eric silence you lol. My brain does the same thing with Office references all day every day when ANYTHING happens 😅. Also we need to eventually move onto "Eric watches The Office for the first time" reactions, I'm here for it. Lol

This film is my all time favorite movie and I live in Maine and lived in Buxton which really looks like the movie scenes, I’ve actually been to most of the places mentioned in the movie. I’m glad you enjoyed the movie which a lot of schools use this script as an example on how to write a script the correct way because it’s so good. Next really good movie you should watch is another Stephen King one called The Green Mile when you can.

The day this movie was released on video I bought it and Braveheart on Laser Disc. I watched them both 3 times over the next 24 hours. Friends came over and I had to show them both movies because they were just too good. Love them!!!

I can’t find the post you made of have and haven’t seen, but if you haven’t seen them, braveheart and the green mile are two other all time greats!!

Great reaction, commentary and production. Really cool. Id like to mention tho, that the movie sound is very low in relation to the commentary. I dont know if its a copyright thing because I see it happen a lot, but i thought id mention it anyway. It probably isnt as noticeable on headphones as it is on speakers. Cheers.

You ned to see Frank Darabont's other film that people watch with the Shawshank Redemption- The Green Mile (regardless if it doesn't win first place with your patreon poll).

Morgan Freeman has without a doubt, one of THE best voices for narration, he and James Earl Jones. I swear he’s been on air, tv and movies, his whole life! I’ve been watching him since he was in that PBS show, Electric Company, on air from ‘71 to ‘77. He’s one of my favorite actors with Denzel Washington, and Will Smith, being two others. They should do at least one movie together. That would go CRAZY!

The opera is Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro." it is a romantic comedy about the class system in 18th century Europe, mistaken identity, lost love, infidelity and forgiveness. "Canzonetto Sull'Aria " is the song. If you have an opportunity to watch live or a recording on DVD, it is beautiful.

He’s called Red because in the book Ellis Boyd Redding is a redheaded Irish man.

I have seen this movie many times and never noticed the rock hammer he hid in the Bible was in the book of Exodus. Great reaction.

3:35 Iono why, the way Andy and Kailyn both drank at the same time... LOL Made me laugh so hard.

First reaction I’ve seen without tears to Brooks! Hearts of steel, great reaction though :)

One of my favorite movies of all time! I have watched so many times.Tim Robbin’s is so good as Andy, I feel he doesn’t get enough recognition

Good afternoon. I am doing this voice to text so I hope it prints it where you can read it. The prison you see in the film is the old Ohio Reformatory in Mansfield Ohio. The cell block is also at the reformatory. The street scenes were taken in Mansfield. The halfway house is the Bissman Building which still is in Mansfield. The market is the old E & B market on Fourth Street. I was lucky enough to be an extra in the convicts in the yard. The premier was actually held in Mansfield at the Renaissance Theater before it was in California or New York. It was not widely received when it opened up because it came out the same year that Forrest Gump and some other top-notch movies came out. I am 75 years old with Parkinson’s so it’s hard for me to type. Front building that you see for the prison is now a museum along with cell Block one. You can do tours of it, they have nights that you can spend there, they have murder mysteries they hold there. The prison was also used in Tango & Cash, and was the Russian cell-block used in the Airforce One. An interesting side note is that in the winter time crows fly into Mansfield from seven or eight counties and spend the winter there, so we’re used to seeing crows all the time. Glad you liked the movie. Again I apologize as the voice to text doesn't always send the right word for me. Have a great day.

Please do more movie reactions!! I have thoroughly enjoyed the 3 you have done so far.

Unless you've seen those already I would like you to react to Se7en (more Morgan Freeman) and Braveheart (no Morgan Freeman but so good).

Shawshank was filmed at Mansfield Reformatory in Ohio. I used to drive by it on a regular basis on my way to Columbus. Right next to Route 30. It's closed now, but most of the main building is still there. Last I heard you could take tours of the place, partially because of the popularity of this movie. In the fall it was a haunted house, may be still, not sure.

This is accurate and for me who was in prison, truly a rememberous of life or death, the reformatory was hell.

Back in the 50's and 60's, convicts were considered sub-human and anything befalling them was deserved. Very few, and even fewer in power advocated for them.