review may contain spoilers

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2015)

The Shawshank Redemption is without a doubt one of the most brilliant movies I have ever seen. Similar to The Green Mile in many respects (and better than it in almost all of them), these two movies have shown us that Stephen King is a master not only of horror but also of prose that shakes the soul and moves the heart. The plot is average, but King did great things with it in his novella that are only furthered by the direction, and the acting is so top-rate it's almost scary.
Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufrane, wrongly imprisoned for 20 years for the murder of his wife. The story focuses on Andy's relationship with "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman, in probably his best role) and his attempts to escape from Shawshank. Bob Gunton is positively evil and frightening as Warden Norton, and there are great performances and cameos all around; the most prominent one being Gil Bellows (late as Billy of Ally McBeal) as Tommy, a fellow inmate of Andy's who suffers under the iron will of Norton.
If you haven't seen this movie, GO AND RENT IT NOW. You will not be disappointed. It is positively the best movie of the '90's, and one of my Top 3 of all time. This movie is a spectacle to move the mind, soul, and heart. 10/10