One of my all-time favourite movies

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2005)

What can I say about Shawshank that hasn't already been said? This is one of my all-time favourite movies, and I've seen it maybe a dozen times but I keep going back for more.
Tim Robbins is cast perfectly as Andy Dufresne, a man convicted of killing his wife and her lover and sentenced to prison, but who somehow never quite lets prison break his spirit.
In a sense, this can be compared to Cuckoo's Nest; Andy's effect on the prison and his fellow prisoners is much like MacMurphy's effect on the mental patients. And Warden Norton has a Nurse Ratched-like character, full of self-righteousness and a kind of indignation at having to "teach them a lesson".
Simple story or not, this movie is uplifting and inspiring. Wonderfully acted and directed, Shawshank's status as a classic is well-deserved.