The best prison film ever made.

Rating: 9/10 (21 April 2011)

I think that this movie was extremely well made, and it accurately portrayed life on the inside. This film's many great dialogues and beautiful cinematography make it one of the best movies ever made.
The cinematography in The Shawshank Redemption is excellent. Beautiful shots of the iconic prison are shown from all angles. These shots make you realize how tough it would be to live your life in a place that you have no chance of escaping, a place that you are seemingly bound forever in. The shots of the prison make you feel the power and influence of the workers of the prison, and how little hope is left for the people. Inside. Shots like this make all the difference in the emotional deposit of hope that this movie instills towards the end of the story. Dark gloomy shots of the inside an outside of the prison set the mood for the entire film, and perfectly depict the harsh, dark life of the prison world. The editing in The Shawshank Redemption is great. Every scene in this movie serves a specific purpose, and all of these scenes in coherence with each other make this movie as great as it is. Almost every scene in the movie serves the purpose of making the audience experience the dark dungeon that is the Shawshank prison, and makes them realize how very fragile life is.
The acting in this movie is some of the best you will find in any movie anywhere. Actors such as Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman help shape this movie into the dark masterpiece that it is. Almost every actor in this movie helps give the audience the overall vibe of prison life, and helps the people of the outside world see the beautiful injustices of the movie's legal system. Tim Robbins, who plays the main character Andy Dufrense, does a beautiful job of depicting life in a federal prison, and all of the high risks situations an inmate faces every day. Robbins goes from being a young, callow inmate to being an experienced hardened inmate that pretty much runs the prisons. Robbins expressions after coming out of solitary and finding out that one of his friends have died make this movie what it is, and his performance acts as a foundation upon which the movie is laid. Morgan Freeman, playing inmate "Red" Redding also greatly helps guide this movie into the blockbuster extravaganza that it has become. Freeman accurately depicts a hardened man on the inside that is touching by the quite and caring personality of a man not yet affected by the scourges of the outside world. Freeman depicts his character with aplomb and poise, and he helps to make Shawshank a movie that over 100 million people will see.
The Music and sound effects in this movie are very good. Period piece movies always require a solid soundtrack that also comes from the setting. The music department for Shawshank has a perfect balance between music from the period and eerie sound effects that help turn Shawshank into a dark, secluded movie. A soft, quite violin when the prisoners walk through the doors of Shawshank set the mood for the outline of the movie, and the creators of Shawshank use Mozart (played by Andy) to calm the prisoners and distract them from the hopeless lives which they lead. Overall, the music and sound effects greatly contribute to the plot of this movie.
The direction of the film The Shawshank Redemption is wonderful. One of the greatest directors of all time, Frank Darabont, use this movie to display his brilliance of directing. Darabont also wrote the screenplay for this movie, (adapted from the novel by Stephen King) and manipulates the characters to do his will throughout the movie. Every piece of the movie is synchronized to perfection, and Darabont displays the common criminal in a way never seen before y the human eye. Darabont explores the dark, gloomy side to life on the inside, but still leaves the audience feeling happy and enlightened in the end. Just when it seems that Darabont has mitigated hope into absolute uncertainty, he surprises the audience with the strong influence the idea of hope has over all people. Overall, the directing in this movie gives it its fire, and it puts the cinematography and the acting in their place to do justice to the movie world.