Timeless...moving...extraordinary!

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2010)

1994 seemed to be a landmark year for film. It produced Pulp Fiction which is undoubtedly one the greatest films of all time. Bloody, brutal and brilliant.
Unintentionally accompanied with Forrest Gump, a sweeping epic tale of a simpleton who is present at several of the biggest events the world has seen which is brilliant in capturing the audiences imagination and perhaps deservedly swept the Oscars. However, for me personally, The Shawshank Redemption, which is tied with Braveheart and The LOTR trilogy as my favourite films of all time , is simply unbeatable.
A towering, moving, simply first class story of a man, Andy Dufresne who is wrongly imprisoned for life in Shawshank penitentiary for the murder of his wife and her extra-marital lover. Lived by Tim Robbins, he struggles to adapt to the tough conditions in Shawshank assembled by Captain Hadley, the Sisters and the off-beat warden Norton. Clancy Brown is dark and effective in his role as Captain Hadley whom we love to hate and Bob Gunton produces a career performance as warden Norton whom we equally disdain, but for different reasons. Morgan Freeman is outstanding in his role as Ellis Boyd Redding known affectionately as 'Red.' We can thank the academy for failing to recognise his turn with the Award for Actor in a Leading Role that went to Tom Hanks, who can annoyingly sleep through a role and still find himself reeking of awards, money and positive publicity. I'm not saying that I didn't like him in Forrest Gump, no way, he was fantastic, I just think Freeman was a character we could sympathise and empathise with. That's just my humble opinion though.
It is the greatest story ever told on film in my opinion. Stephen King works can be very dodgy when transferred on to the big screen (Dreamcatcher) but Frank Darabont has done an astounding job in depicting the pain and suffering that the prisoners endure whilst in Shawshank. The screenplay is virtually flawless, great to see.
The film succeeds brilliantly in gauging Andy Dufresnes levels of comfortability in his surroundings and how he grows to become one of the most popular inmates.
To conclude, The Shawshank Redemption is a massively enjoyable film that comes well equipped with drama, intrigue, twists and a triumphant ending that is second to none. The cast, spear-headed by Robbins and Freeman are immensely impressive and the direction by Frank Darabont is unprecedentedly precise and pure. Whern you combine this with solid cinematography and a wonderfully crafted script, you have possibly the greatest film of all time! 10/10!