Twenty Greatest Book Adaptations

For the second official post, I am ranking the top 20 Greatest book adaptations of all time.

For obvious reasons, I avoided listing religious affiliated books. Also, I ranked book series together, just to please the crowd and make room for other classics.

 This is probably one of the hardest subjects to rank. Everyone on this Earth has a favorite book, but these are the adaptations of these books. I am basing my rankings on how faithful the adaptation, the success of the movie, and how the actors make the book characters come to life.

Remember, this is my PERSONAL OPINION! 

This list may shock some readers, tell me in the comments if you feel I am completely wrong!

Happy Readings!

20. The Shining 

Year: 1980

Writer: Stephen King 

Director: Stanley Kubrick 

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Barry Nelson, and Scatman Crothers 

The Shining, even though a good movie, was not a good book adaptation. In fact, the only reason it is ranked in the Top 20 List, is because of the cult following, and it is well done.

Jack Nicholson gets hired to be the winter caretaker of the Overlook hotel in Colorado from October to May. The hotel manager tells Jack that a previous caretaker went insane and kill his family with an axe. Jack assures him that will not happen. He takes his wife and young son up there, too. Sometime between all the snow and the stress of being alone, Jack snaps and finds an axe...

So, The Shining is one of my favorite books of all time. Author Stephen King really knew what he was doing when he wrote it. Fantastic story of "cabin fever" and makes The Jerry Springer Show look like a walk in the park.

However, the adaptation was made with a ton of gray area that the audience still does not understand almost 40 years later. Stanley Kubrick is a great director, but he really missed King's themes and visualization.

19. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe  

Year: 2005

Writer: C.S. Lewis 

Director: Andrew Adamson 

Starring: William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Gorgie Henely, Tilda Swinton, James McAvory, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, and Liam Neeson 

C.S. Lewis is probably one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century, no doubt. His novel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe was received with widespread critical acclaim, immediately making it a classic.

The story is simple-ish, four orphaned English children are evacuated from London to escape The Blitz. They go and live with this aging eccentric professor who lives in a lavish manor. One day, when the children are playing hide-and-seek, the youngest one, Lucy, discovers a secret door to magical Narnia. After getting her three other siblings involved, they become involved in the politics of Narnia.

The film adaptation plays like the book, but the film is just a film when you are finished. After reading the book, the reader can get a certain feeling, but after seeing this movie, you wonder where you are going to go for dinner.

Overall, though, a good film and good adaptation.

18. The Great Gatsby 

Year: 1974

Writer: F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Director: Jack Clayton 

Starring: Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Karen Black, Lois Chiles, Edward Herrmann and Bruce Dern 

Between an original and a remake, I will choose the original nine times out of ten. Not that The Great Gatsby remake with Leonardo Di Caprio was bad, just the soundtrack ruined the movie.

Before the Stock Market crashed, the world revolved around booze and parties in wealthy upstate New York. Middle class Nick Carraway moves next door to THE Jay Gatsby and discovers Gatsby has always loved Nick's cousin, Daisy, who lives across the bay. Daisy is married to womanizer Tom, who is also very wealthy. Between the love triangle and the parties, Nick commentates his year living in New York.

Sam Waterston plays Nick Carraway, the moral compass of the story. In 1974, Waterston was perfect for the role, he also has the narrating voice. Robert Redford as Gatsby, I can buy it. Yet, Mia Farrow as Daisy does not click with me. For some reason, I do no feel she should have played Daisy.

The movie in itself is a classic, but Farrow ruins it for me. Maybe I'm just harsh...

17. The Rainmaker  

Year: 1997

Writer: John Grisham 

Director: Frances Ford Cappola 

Starring: Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Danny Glover, Teresa Wright,  Mickey Rouke, Dean Stockwell, Virgina Madsen, Roy Scheider, and Danny DeVito 

John Grisham knows how to write, he can captivate an audience. The Rainmaker, while not the most popular Grisham, is the most faithful adaptation. I considered more popular Grisham movies like The Firm or A Time to Kill, but The Rainmaker plays just like the book does.

Fresh out of law school, Matt Damon goes and works for a small firm, where one of the "assistant attorneys" (DeVito) hasn't passed the bar, even after his sixth time taking it. He hears of an underprivileged leukemia patient has passed away after his insurance company drug their feet with his medicine. Battling against a big time litigator (Voight) and a judge dying half-way through trial, they decide to go to court. Good luck.

A well done adaptation, indeed. Most movies based on books show how good the director was at his job, in The Rainmaker, it is actually about the story.

16.  Misery 

Year: 1990

Writer: Stephen King 

Director: Rob Reiner 

Starring: Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, and Lauren Bacall 

Over half of the movie has only two people in it. Two characters, one strapped to a bed, the other his "number one fan". King got the title right with Misery.

James Caan is a successful writer. Finishing his last novel of the Misery series in his private cabin, he encounters a snow storm and wrecks his car. Luckily, he was found by Kathy Bates, a woman obsessed with the series, who happens to be a nurse. As she nurses him back to health, he discovers this woman is insane. She snooped and read his last Misery novel, only not to be happy with it...

Warren Beatty, Harrison Ford, Robert Redford, and Michael Douglas all turned down the part because they felt the leading man was a wimp. James Caan accepted it, and he was smart in doing so. Not only was it his biggest hit since The Godfather, Misery relaunched his career, made Kathy Bates a star, and brought Lauren Bacall out of semi-retirement.

Movies like that deserve to be on the list. Not only was it a fairly faithful adaptation, it's a dang good movie.

15.  Bram Stoker's Dracula 

Year: 1992

Writer: Bram Stoker

Director: France Ford Coppola 

Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Billy Campbell, Tom Waits, Sadie Frost, and Sir Anthony Hopkins 

Even though Bela Lugosi's version of Dracula was on my previous post (go check it out!), Gary Oldman's portrayal of the title character is everything it should be- creepy, sinister, and charming all at the same time. Sir Anthony Hopkins graces the screen as Van Hesling, while Winona Ryder does well as the leading lady. Too bad Keanu Reeves played Jonathan, though.

Hope this summary makes sense-  Englishmen Jonathan Harker goes to Dracula's castle in Romania for business. only to discover Dracula is a vampire. Dracula, being the vampire follows Harker home and kidnaps his fiance, Mina (who looks like Dracula's bride). Vampire hunter Dr. Van Hesling gets involved and hunts down the vampire to kill him.

Frances Ford Coppola directed this film, and did great at it. 

14. The Green Mile 

Year: 1999

Writer: Stephen King 

Director: Frank Darabont 

Starring: Tom Hanks. Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, James Cromwell, Bonnie Hunt, Jeffery DeMunn, Barry Pepper, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton,  and Eli Wallach 

In 1996, Stephen King wrote The Green Mile. It was one of his more tamer novels, even though not as popular as say Salem's Lot or The Shining. However, this film is an epic. 

Told via flashback at a present day nursing home, an elder man reflects back to his years as a prison guard. In 1932, Louisiana, four Death Row ( E Block) guards are in for the experience of a lifetime as mysterious John Coffey inhabits a cell. Standing 7 ft tall, being black, and accused of raping and killing two little white girls, the odds are not in his favor from the get go. Head Guard of E Block, Paul, sees something different in him. Fighting another temporary guard and the system, Paul and Coffey begin a sort of friendship like no other guard/inmate. All is well until the day of execution. 

The movie has an fantastic cast lead by Tom Hanks. Michael Clarke Duncan IS John Coffey, while the rest of the cast fit in the film like they were alive in 1932. The movie remains pretty accurate to the text, and I truly believe that the characters are real hard-working everyday people.

The Green Mile is just a great film that people will go back to for years on end. Heck, it airs on AMC a couple of times a week. 

13. Good Fellas 

Year: 1990

Writer: (Wiseguys) Nicholas Pileggi

Director: Martin Scorsese 

Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Dennis Farina, Frank Vincent,  Frank Sivero, Samuel L. Jackson, and Paul Sorvino 

"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." 

GoodFellas isn't a movie you should watch until you're about 15 years old. It has sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Plus violence and strong language in every other scene it seems. Even with all of that, the reason GoodFellas is so high on the list is because of how believable it is. 

As a kid, young Henry Hill discovers the high life of being a mobster; he learns about respect. In 1955, now an adult, Henry has a different take on the gangster life- money. With narration and great music, we understand the life of the mob from the 1940's to the 1980's. 

While typing up the synopsis, I found it hard to write one. That is just how life is, we can't really write a summary of our life. (That is what the dash on our tombstone is for) Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors of all time, and it shows in here. 

The soundtrack is phenomenal, from Tony Bennett to The Ronettes, GoodFellas has great music transitions. 

Now, go get your shine box and put in GoodFellas!   

12. Murder on the Orient Express

Year: 1974

Writer: Agatha Christie 

Director: Sydney Lumet 

Starring: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassal, Sean Connery, Sir John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark, Michael York 

The fact that I made Murder on the Orient Express #12 is an in joke, if you get it, Kudos, if you don't, watch the movie. 

One of Agatha Christie's best work, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is coming from vacation in late December, 1935. He aboard the legendary Orient Express, only for there to be a murder of an American millionaire. Do to a heavy snowstorm, the train is stuck. There are only 17 people on the train. One is a murderer, one is dead, one is the director of the company that owns the train, and one is a detective. 

Probably the best Agatha Christie movie ever to grace the screen, Murder on the Orient Express is lavish, elegant, and classy. The plot follows the book more closely than any Christie movie I've seen, omitting no characters or plot points. 

If the elegance does not buy you, just look at the cast list! First, Albert Finney is hands down the best Poirot in cinema. 

Then there are pure movie stars like Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Perkins, and Richard Widmark. 

Then, there are pure stage actors like Sir John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, and Rachel Roberts.

Then there are the character actors like Martin Balsam that adds a realism to the director of the company and Poirot's good friend. Plus INGRID BERGMAN plays a Swedish missionary (for which she won an Oscar). 

Murder on the Orient Express is an elegant film through and through. The opening titles alone make this movie worth watching! Maybe I like this one too much, but it deserves to be on the list for sure! 

It really is the who's who in the whodunnit! 

11. The Remains of the Day 

Year: 1993

Writer: Kazu Ishiguro 

Director: James Ivory 

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant, Tim Piggot-Smith, Ben Chaplin, Lena Headey, Michael Lonsdale, Sir Patrick Godfrey, and Peter Vaughn

I am not a fan of Jane Austen, nor do I think I ever will be. The Remains of the Day is the closest to Austen I think I'll ever be. This is one of my favorite books of all time. So, of course the film adaptation would be ranked high! 

England, 1955, older butler Stevens decides to go on a mini vacation to visit the former head housekeeper, Ms. Kenton. On the way, he thinks back to his days at Darlington Hall and their time together as the heads of the staff. Looking back, he examines all of his mistakes, the death of his father, and how much of a pawn Lord Darlington was to the Nazi party. 

Having Anthony Hopkins play an emotionless servant, who entered a room as though he never came in was genius! He nails Stevens to a T and just in his performance alone he carries the movie. The great Emma Thompson has this dilemma, she loves a man that never loved her back, while being his equal and close colleague. That's hard to play. 

The supporting cast is astonishing as well. Sir James Fox is extraordinary as the diplomat of the United Kingdom, who the Nazi's played like a violin. Christopher Reeve has a minor role as a United States Congressmen and later buys the manor from Darlington. Then there is Hugh Grant (right before he became famous), playing Darlington's journalist nephew, who's few scenes show how much he thought of Darlington as a father. Finally, the performance of Peter Vaughn tops the cast because he is the man that made Stevens who he is today, and they are nothing alike. 

Enough on the actors, this film is a piece of cinema. Excellent sets, costumes, and acting. The Remains of the Day is perfect. After all, it was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, and the novel won the Man Booker Prize.  

THE TOP 10....

10. Jurassic Park

Year: 1993

Writer: Michael Crichton 

Director: Steven Spielberg 

Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, and Sir Richard Attenborough 

One of the reasons Jurassic Park is so high on the list is because it could be argued it is better than the book. Steven Spielberg is a great director. Michael Crichton is a great author. However, the novel goes into a lot of detail that does not really matter for a movie. 

A group of scientists go to examine a park that has dinosaurs on them. Of course, everything goes terribly wrong and the dinosaurs follow their basic instincts. Only problem is that a tropical storm is heading their way. Good luck. 

Probably the highest grossing picture on this list, Jurassic Park remains in the top of every list. The score by John Williams is phenomenal, the dinosaurs look so real, even in 2016, and the movie flows well. 

Being an adaptation of a novel like this was tricky for Crichton and the other writers, the book is so long. Yet, they were able to do it. 

I just have one complaint- the character of Genarro. In the book Ed Regis (not in movie, Hammond's assistant) dies, being with the kids, he was a real jerk face. In the movie, Genarro should have lived, he was a good guy just doing his job. 

Jurassic Park gets a 10/10 every time. 

9. The Silence of the Lambs 

Year: 1991

Writer: Thomas Harris 

Director: Jonathan Demme 

Starring: Jodie Foster, Scott Glen, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald, Diane Baker, and Anthony Hopkins 

The Silence of the Lambs is one of the greatest movies of all time. It is one of the greatest book adaptations of all time, too. This movie is the one that could be based on a true story.

A lunatic who rapes and skins women is at large. This one woman he kidnapped, however, is the daughter to a United States Senator. The FBI is hot on his trail and the only way to stop him to pay a visit to a former psychiatrist, Hannibal Lector, who has a taste for humans. With the senator demanding her daughter back and a rookie agent on the case, will Buffalo Bill be caught? 

Winning not only one, but five, Academy Awards, The Silence of the Lambs deserves it's spot just out of pure respect. 

It follows the book pretty close, taking some liberal chances on a couple of things though. Overall, it is an astonishing film, really showcasing how disturbing some people can be. 

8. To Kill A Mockingbird 

Year: 1962

Writer: Lee Harper 

Director: Robert Mulligan 

Starring:  Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Frank Overton, Estelle Evans, Brock Peters, Robert Duvall, and Paul Fix 

What kind of book adaptation would this be without To Kill a Mockingbird? 

In the early 1930's, Alabama, a young black man has been accused of raping a teenager white girl. This isn't just any particular girl, however, it is the town drunk's girl. All of this is told in the first person perspective of an eight year old girl, whose daddy happens to be defense counsel. 

To Kill A Mockingbird gave us household names like Atticus Finch and Boo Radley. The movie enhanced on the popular novel, giving it more of an edge.

The great Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, defending attorney to Tom, the black man. One of the first "racial" movies, it is a lot more cut and dry because a little girl is narrating it. 

I'm not going to spend much time here, but this is an awesome adaptation. 

7.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 

Year: 1975

Writer: Ken Kesey 

Director: Milos Forman 

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield, Brad Dourif, Sydney Lassick, Christopher Lloyd, Dean Brooks,  Scatman Crothers, and Danny DeVito 

Between Chinatown and The Shining, Jack Nicholson had another huge hit, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 

A man in 1963, Oregon, gets convicted of the rape of a fifteen year old girl. His sentence is go to a prison farm or a mental institution. He chooses the latter, thinking it will be easier. Getting into the story more, he discovers the problems of his fellow inmates and how some are actually insane. He also makes enemies with the head nurse, Nurse Ratched. 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest made names like Nurse Ratched to stick. Nicholson's character is a total jerk who thinks he is too good for that place. This causes a lot of tension with the others. 

The film also looks into the clinically insane and shows that even "normal" people go a little crazy sometimes, so always watch your back! 

With a twist ending and the disturbing scene of shock therapy, this film is golden (after all, it did win 5 Academy Awards) 

6. Stand By Me 

Year: 1986

Writer: Stephen King 

Director: Rob Reiner 

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Pheonis, Corey Feldman, Jerry O"Connell, Keifer Sutherland, and Richard Dreyfuss 

Ben E. King sung "Stand By Me", but Stephen King wrote Stand By Me. There is a huge difference in the two, for sure. 

Four kids hear that a boy is missing. They go across the Oregon countryside to look for him. The story is of the boys and their adventures mainly. 

Stephen King's novel had no supernatural elements or disturbing horror scenes, it is just about the kids who go looking for a missing kid. The kids sound and act like actual kids, it makes me reflect back to the days of my youth and how I didn't have any worries or real concerns (like bills and do I have enough gas) 

I do not have much to write about Stand By Me, but it is a film everyone has to see in their lifetime. It is spectacular! 

THE FINAL 5.... 

5. James Bond series 

Year: 1962-present 

Writer: Ian Fleming

Director: Terence Young, Guy Hamilton, Lewis Gilbert, Peter R. Hunt, John Glen, Martin Campbell, Spottiswoode, Michael Apted, Lee Tamahori, Marc Forster, and Sam Mendes  

Starring: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig 

From Dr. No to The Living Daylights, the producers followed the Bond novels fairly close. The reason I have the Bond series so high is because without Ian Fleiming's source material, we wouldn't have James Bond movies. While some of the movies follow the story of the novel, many of them do not, and some of them make the story better for NOT following the books. 

MI6 agent James Bond has several assignments, mainly to infiltrate the headquarters of SPECTRE. 

Throughout the years, the Bond films have had a plethora of actors and actresses in the roles of villains, including: 

• Joseph Wiseman      
• Robert Shaw 
• Gert Frobe 
• Sir Donald Pleasance 
• Telly Savalas 
• Charles Gray 
• Yaphett Kotto 
• Sir Christopher Lee 
• Curt Jergins 
• Michael Lonsdale 
• Julian Glover 
• Christopher Walken 
• Jeroen Krabbe 
• Robert Davi 
• Sean Bean 
• Jonathan Pryce 
• Toby Stephens 
• Javier Bardem 
• Christoph Waltz 

Those are the few of many movies. The Bond girls are good, but most of them didn't really do anything afterwards (besides Ursula Andres and Carey Lowell, maybe). 

Bond movies at #5, may be considered a little inappropriate, but hey, you have to admit that they are pretty dang good stories. 

4. Harry Potter series 

Year: 2001-2011

Writer:  J.K. Rowling 

Director: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, David Yates 

Starring: Daniel Ratcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson

You knew this was going to happen. Harry Potter is one of the best series of all time. 

Infant Harry Potter's parents are murdered by Dark Lord Voldemort. In the process of the slaughter, Harry lives, while Voldemort is severely wounded. He goes and lives with his mean aunt and uncle. At the age of 11, he gets accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He goes, befriends two other outsiders. The series goes through Harry's years at Hogwarts and the rise of the Dark Lord. 

JK Rowling had a lot of say in her adaptation. Her novels are some of the best selling novels of all 

time. 

Besides the leading kids, the supporting cast list includes:

• Dame Maggie Smith 
• Sir Alan Rickman 
• David Thewlis
• Emma Thompson 
• Warwick Davis
• Helena Bonham Carter 
• Ralph Fiennes 
• Brendan Gleeson 
• Richard Griffiths & Fiona Shaw 
• Ian Hart 
• Kenneth Branagh 
• Imelda Staunton
• Jim Broadbent
• Jason Isaacs
• Gary Oldman
• Julie Walters & Mark Williams 
• Timothy Spall
• Sir Michael Gambon 
• (and the late great Sir Richard Harris) 

The plots are incredibly complex for a 2 1/2 hour movie, and the more you watch this series, the more you become infatuated with the story line. 

You have to give the series props, when Sir Richard Harris passed away, they got Sir Michael Gambon to replace him as Dumbledore without missing a beat. 

Film series like this only come once in a lifetime, I"m glad it was mine. 

 2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Year: 2001-2003 

Writer: JRR Tolken 

Director: Peter Jackson 

Starring: Elijah Wood, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Ian Holm, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davis, Bernard Hill, Dominic Monaghan, Hugo Weaving, Karl Urban, Brad Dourif, John Noble, and Sir Christopher Lee 

A ring, a man, a creature, and a a mountain of fire,The Lord of the Rings is an extraordinary tale of greed and power. I'm in awe of it. 

There is one ring that controls all forces. It has been passed around for centuries, but finds it's way in an elder Hobbits home. After realizing it's powers, he must go and destroy it, but he is way too old. He enlists help from his young nephew and his friends. Together, with Great Wizard Gandalf, they go to destroy the ring. Meanwhile, suspicious wizard Saruman sends his mindless army to retrieve the ring. 

Peter Jackson excelled in this adaptation, it beats out Harry Potter, James Bond, Agatha Christie, or any Jane Austen in adaptations. The storytelling is phenomenal and the trilogy makes for a great watching. 

The character of Gollum has interesting themes in him, as a decent man turned into this horrible creature. 

The idea of having Sir Ian McKellen (a classically trained English actor) playing Gandalf makes me reflect back to Star Wars where an older Sir Alec Guinness played Obi-Wan Kanobi 

The Lord of the Rings has many symbols and elements in them. From the complexity of Bilbo and the ring, to the idea of having Gandalf reappear after his disappearance. This remains one of the greatest stories of all time. 

As you all probably know, I am biased, so the trilogy is high up, others might not like the idea of "witchcraft" in my list. I understand your concerns and you have to understand that this list is filled with FICTIONAL interpretations. 

I want to name my son Bilbo, just saying ;) 

2. The Godfather  

Year: 1972

Writer: Mario Puzo 

Director: France Ford Coppola 

Starring: Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Alex Rocco, Morgana King, and Marlon Brando 

The Godfather is probably one of the greatest movies of all time. The best film in the trilogy, The Godfather is awesome. 

From 1920 to the 1980's, the Corleone family ran the mafia business. Dealing with corrupt police captains to selfish movie producers to abusive husbands, this particular family "protected the ones who couldn't protect themselves". 

Not only is this one of my favorite movies, it is the favorite movie of every middle aged man in American (#TotalDadMove). You have to see why, the film exploits one man's punishment for being in a family that is associated with the mob and all he has to deal with. Al Pacino plays Michael as well as anyone could have. 

The movie made Pacino, Caan, Duvall, Keaton, Coppola and Cazale household names, brought back older guys like John Marley, Richard Conte, and Sterling Hayden, AND saved Marlon Brando's career. 

Again, Frances Ford Coppola is on this list. This is the last time he appears on here, and one can conclude he is the best person for adapting books to movies, I'd hire him. He is Francis Ford Coppola after all. 

AFTER ALL THIS READING..... 

1. The Shawshank Redemption  

Year: 1994

Writer: Stephen King 

Director: Frank Darabont

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, Jeffrey DeMunn, and James Whitmore 

Ranked as one of the best movies of all time, many people forget this was a book by Stephen King. 

In 1947,  a banker gets sentenced to two consecutive life imprisonments for killing his wife and the man she was having an affair with, his golf pro. Going to prison changes Andy Dufresne life forever. He befriends a couple of other guys after a couple of years. Throughout the tenure in prison, he sees things he would have never seen through his affluent lifestyle. 

Okay, so as cliche as my number one is, look it is an amazing film. The reason it is number 1 is because Frank Darabont took Stephen King's novella and ran with it. King himself was so impressed with this adaptation, he let Darabont work on many of his films. 

Tim Robbins gives the best performance of his lifetime, while Morgan Freeman makes the films moral conscience, being real and pleasant. Bob Gunton plays the warden, who is hands down the most real villain of all time. 

The opening scene plays like a ballet, with the courtroom scenes not taking up too long. The film never drags, where you want to watch every minute. 

The last quarter of the film are better than the first 3/4th of the film by a long shot. 

I just love The Shawshank Redemption as book adaptation. 

Tell me how you feel! Hope you enjoyed!