Get Busy or Get Busy Living

Rating: Null/10 (25 November 2002)

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!! Frank Darabont's brilliant adaptation form the Stephen King novel Different Seasons, "The Shawshank Redemption" captures the audience's attention and does not let go. As in "The Green Mile", Darabont takes us through a journey of an innocent man confined to prison walls. The film begins with Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) being found guilty of two counts of murder and shipped off to Shawshank Prison. There we meet Red Redding (Morgan Freeman). Andy and Red begin a memorable friendship that is evident though out the film. The corrupt warden (Bob Gunton) makes Andy's life miserable. Over the years, we see Andy growing, getting books for the prison library, and teaching his follow inmates. We see Red going to the parole board and never allowed freedom. Darbont has the audience hoping that he is finally going to be released. More years past and Andy decides to get busy dying or get busy living. Suddenly, we hear sirens going off and the warden shooting himself for a cowardly way out for his dirty deeds. Andy escapes. But how does he do it? Telling us how Andy crawls his way to freedom, Red begins to narrate the rest of the film. After nineteen years, Andy obtains his revenge and freedom at the same time. The steps at which Andy takes to escape leaves the audience speechless. Red begins to miss his friend and every once in awhile he would get a plain postcard, which we all knew was from Andy. Red is once again sent before the parole board. He tells them what he thinks of them. They finally parole him. The audience can not get any happier. Andy and Red are free. Yet Andy told Red about a place he loved to go the night before he escaped. Red hitchhikes to that place and finds a tin box. Inside the old wore out box is money and the place Red could find Andy. Red takes a bus to a beautiful place by the ocean. As Red walks the beach, we see Andy. The film is long but, the time flies because the audience is into the movie. The performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are phenomenal. "The Shawshank Redemption" is one film a person can keep watching because everyone always finds themselves still rooting for Andy who finally got busy living.