Incredibly intense prison movie

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2003)

What is so special about this movie? Thats what I asked myself when I saw it as one of the few IMDB top-rated movies I didn't know yet. Now I know why it deserves to be there. It is the best prison movie ever made. Most prison movies try to accuse the prison system by showing an increasing level of violence and spectacular escapes. Shawshank Redemption is somewhat different. The main actor is portrayed from the view of a second person and most of the time we see what this person sees. Shawshank prison is not a monastery, and while there are some violent scenes, most of the violence we only learn by the narrative of the second person. The time saved from depicting violence is spent showing the feelings of the inmates. Beyond the perfect technical work in producing this movie, the plot slowly builds up to incredible moments of courage and purity. I guess this is what essentially makes the movie so great, without being pathetic the movie makes us wonder about our own motives and decisions. Very thought provoking.