Come on Frankie! What were you thinking?

Rating: 7/10 (13 December 1999)

This movie was probably one of my biggest disappointments of the year. I went in expecting a great movie. I am a huge fan of The Shawshank Redemption. But, what I got instead was an ok movie. Sure, Tom Hanks was good as the good ol' every guy (what does that make this, four in a row?). And yes the supporting actors were good (reaffirms my admiration for David Morse and James Cromwell). Michael Duncan was good as the "I'm huge, but I'm just a child" man. But all in all the whole thing just did not seem to come together.
The ending for one thing felt like it was just tacked on because they had filmed it. And when it ended (or should I say FINALLY ended) it did just that. Just stopped no conclusion, no wrap-up, nothing!

And I can't forget to mention the horrific scene of the execution . This scene was so over the top and gruesome that it totally through me out of the narrative and I don't think I ever really got back into it. King has shown that implied horror can be much worse than graphic horror. I know that many people will disagree, seeing as this is the the "It's popular to like this movie!" movie of the year. I really wish I could be writing a better review but I can't. I just hope Frank Darabont decides to explore a different area of the cinema, before stepping behind the camera next time.