SPECIAL REVIEW: The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption gets 5 out of 5 stars. But then again, everybody and their grandmother knows that The Shawshank Redemption is one of the greatest movies ever made, and so just giving it a numerical score isn't justice enough to the film, so I'll get it out of the way now. But what makes The Shawshank Redemption so good? Read my thoughts below!

The Shawshank Redemption (Rated R for language and prison violence)

The Shawshank Redemption opens up as banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins, Mystic River, Jacob's Ladder) is being tried for the murder of his wife and her lover, to which he tartly objects. He is then sent to Shawshank Prison, the toughest prison in Maine, where longtimers Red (Morgan Freeman, do I even need to say what he's from anymore), Heywood (William Sadler, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, Die Hard 2), and others take bets to see which one of the newcomers will break down first. The entry of Andy's lot gives us a hint of the grittiness of Shawshank, and the rest of Andy's first night shows us the brutality of Shawshank. Yet in the first hour, we see that there is hope in Shawshank, companionship at Shawshank-- themes that ride along for the remainder of the picture, all the way to the very last shot.

The Shawshank Redemption is a most curious film. It is notoriously the number one movie in IMDb's Top 250 list, yet it barely made a profit. The plot, when you hear about it, seems like it'll make the most boring movie: The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of a banker who is sent to prison with two life sentences, meeting lifelong friends and experiencing brutality and injustice. There's really not much to the story of the film, but the two hours it lasts is the most rewarding I've probably ever had. Typically, you would say that such a case means that the film rides on the talent of its actors, but, while the performances are still superb, everything that we see as an audience makes this, perhaps, the greatest film of all time. The film rarely slows down, yet it takes its time. Frank Darabont is, in my opinion, the most understated writer-director, yet also the best one there is. This is based off a Stephen King novella ("Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"), but this movie, unlike most book-to-film adaptations, is almost entirely independent of its source material. There are things in this film that aren't easily done just in prose, such as the subtle foreshadowing ("His judgment cometh soon and that right quickly"), or some of the brutal torture sequences--done in silhouette, leaving most to the imagination, thus making the impact doubly terrible to watch--or the iconic "Shawshank shot" at the end of the film. Not just any director could have tackled this material, nor could have any writer, or any composer or cinematographer. Everything is done so well that the slightest change to it would make it less powerful.

After Andy comes, he's to himself for a long while and doesn't make much talk with anybody. We the viewer, as the film progresses, see his smug smile and odd body language, and we don't know what that means until the end of the film--I won't spoil it here. He's also a most unusual character, breaking the prisonmates' status quo countless times. As I write this, I distinctly remember a scene around the 45-minute mark where Andy, Red, and several others are working on roofs when Andy does the unthinkable. However, his confidence ultimately pays off, winning his companions beer--he doesn't take any. Red narrates his hypothesis: "I think he did it just to feel normal again." Again, that theme carries on for a majority of the picture, with certain prisoners fearing institutionalization and becoming alien to society forever.

One of the most interesting parts of the film is that we're so invested in the characters and drawn in by the drama of Andy's time in Shawshank that we don't realize there's a central villain until about half the film is done. What does our villain and the Shawshank prison staff encompass? Hypocrisy, and the prisoners realize it. In fact, at times, it seems as if the prisoners--murderers, thieves, and rapists--are more innocent than the guards and wardens. I mean, it's a prisoner that brings about the eponymous "Shawshank Redemption!" And the payoff that the film has is incredibly rewarding. I can't see many people disliking the film, especially not for the ending--it's probably one of the best.

Is the film occasionally sad? Yes, some may cry. Is the film depressing? At times, as you feel the highs and lows of every character. Is it hopeful? Definitely, and I can't say a negative thing about it. It's almost unfair that this film was rated R because one of the major themes is true friendship--a theme missing from children's/family films and television these days. It's a mature film, but a film for everybody at the same time. It's not incredibly tough to watch, yet it's brutal. It is the movie that defines all movies. It's not my all-time favorite, but it's in my Top Two. Forrest Gump won Best Picture at the Oscars that year, and while I love Gump a whole lot, I honestly think that Shawshank should have won the big prize that year, and then some. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and buy it for $5 at Target or Walmart. It's incredible, and it goes to show that it doesn't matter if your movie doesn't make a lot of money at the box office; what matters is that your movie makes the most lasting impression on people years after your film is released. This September marks its 20th Anniversary, and it'll undoubtedly be remembered for, at least, 20 more.

"You either get busy living or get busy dying."

What more can I say? Have you seen The Shawshank Redemption, and what did you think about it? What's your favorite film of all time? Whatever you have to say about me or the movies, comment below!