Epic Prison Drama

Rating: 9/10 (2 June 2018)

The Shawshank Redemption has Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman at the top of their games. This film is also probably what made Freeman (and particularly his voice) famous because of his distinctive narration style.
One thing I thought was interesting is that although the story focuses mostly on Andy (Robbins' character), I would suggest that is it Red (Freeman's character) that goes through the most changes. Andy arrives at the prison and ultimately changes Red's perception of the world with his carefree attitude, inner determination and hope.
Bob Gunton's prison warden starts as an almost likeable character, but as the film progresses we realise how corrupt and greedy he truly is. He becomes a truly vile antagonist. Mark Rolston's secondary antagonist Bogs Diamond is a slimy, disgusting man - a completely different persona from the gung ho Private Drake from Aliens. He really deserves to be a bigger star. I did not even realise it was the same actor for many years.
Overall, The Shawshank Redemption is an uplifting tale about overcoming tremendous odds by clinging onto hope.