The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption, adapted from a Stephen King novella and directed by Frank Darabont, is a classic for all time. Its story of an innocent man, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who is sent to prison and befriends entrepreneur Red (Morgan Freeman), is told with such a warm-hearted touch that you can’t help but feeling for these characters.

Shawshank’s plot is about prison life over 30-something years, becoming institutionalized, and hoping for freedom. The heart of the story, though, is its characters. Morgan Freeman gives one of his best performances and firmly cements himself as the greatest narrator of all time. Don’t worry, though, if your not into narration. This movies uses it with such grace and thought that it doesn’t feel melodramatic or too hokey. Tim Robbins, though he doesn’t talk as much as Freeman, gives a subtler performance that feels wholly true to life, as if Dufresne were a real person. Even the side characters, such as the librarian who has been in prison the longest, Brooks (James Whitmore), is given his own arc. And the co-villains of prison guard Hadley (Clancy Brown) and prison warden Norton (Bob Gunton) are two of the most interesting and evil characters of all time.

Shawshank doesn’t wallow in despair, but has enough hurt in it to make you sympathetic with the characters. On the other side of hurt, Shawshank’s main theme is hope. “Fear can hold you prisoner / Hope can set you free.” That was the movie’s tagline and it fits perfectly. Darabont’s excellent direction and precise camerawork encapsulate the very meanings of prison and freedom. The film uses all the tools of cinema adeptly, and the best sequence in the film, involving Brooks the librarian’s parole, utilizes Roger Deakins’ excellent cinematography, Freeman’s narration, Thomas Newman’s score, great screenwriting, and pitch perfect acting to pull your heart strings.

By the end of Shawshank, maybe your emotions will be set free.

{★★★★}