a decent movie but not my Number 2

Rating: 5/10 (27 March 2006)

I saw this movie mainly because it was rated so highly in IMDb. It was a decent movie but it should not be number 2. It has Morgan Freeman and his wonderful voice so that's certainly a plus. The messages of the bad guys getting it in the end is nice as well as keeping one's hope alive in adverse circumstances. I didn't really think the gestapo like guard, who is able to kill anyone on a whim, was very believable. Even convicted felons have loved ones who would want answers. Besides, guards know that one day the tables may be turned on them and this usually tempers their cruelty. Vicious guards are usually "dealt with" by the inmates, so I don't believe a guard like this could last long, and certainly not over 20 years. And how is it that the warden and chief guard are in the same job at the same prison for over 20 years? I don't really buy the massive kickbacks the warden was getting continuously either. Prison labor in the USA usually involve trash picking, farming & soap making for institutional use and license plate stamping. These are not highly profitable industries. Neither was I too thrilled by the subtle cynicism aimed at the Bible and those who read it. Lots of convicts "get religion" and it is generally a good thing. Also, the quick series of mini-scenes leading me by the hand through the resolution (baptism by sewage, screaming headlines, screaming sirens, arrests and suicide) seemed fairytale like. At least you can say that the movie raises awareness of the fact that there are wrongly convicted people in prison and that savage inmates beat and rape each other. I did like the demeanor of the main character, Andy, our victim cum hero. A mix of being quiet, brooding, deliberate, cautious, willful, sly and subdued. This is a nobler hero than what you see in many Hollywood movies. And Morgan's performance as Red reminds us that, felon or not, inmates are still quite capable of humanity. So in general, I didn't mind watching this movie. It entertained me. I just wouldn't include it in my list of best movies. I would not want to watch it again.