3. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Don’t worry, there’s no debate here – Stephen King is almost certainly the world’s greatest storyteller. He’s responsible for the books behind some of the most beloved movies ever made; The Green Mile, Stand By Me, The Shining, and The Shawshank Redemption. Though most of those could potentially have made this list, we’ve gone with latter, because it’s by far the most obvious choice.
King’s original novella was titled Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, and was largely forgotten until Frank Darabont adapted it in 1994. Starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, it mostly follows King’s original story, but with a few key changes and additions.
Turning a relatively short story into a feature length film is a challenge all its own, but The Shawshank Redemption is rightfully seen as one of the greatest movies ever made. Changing the character of Red from an Irish-American to an African-American also allowed for the casting of Morgan Freeman, which elevated the movie significantly. After all, is there any movie that isn’t better for Freeman’s narration? We don’t think so, and it certainly helped The Shawshank Redemption become one of those movies far better than its source material.