Great cast, great crew, great show

Rating: 9/10 (12 December 1999)

This is some Movie! Directed by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption shows more than any other film made about Prison life, the hopelessness, frustration, loneliness and degredation Prison inmates experience. Darabont does a great job in capturing the atmosphere of the Gaol, cleverly moving his cameras in close to magnify an emotion or expression as Andy Dufresne, ( Tim Robbins ) ' Red, ' played brilliantly by Morgan Freeman, and many others including James Whitmore as the ' institutionalized ' Brooks Hatlen, wrestle daily with their torments and their tormentors. Robbins did some good work with his character,the snotty banker brought back down to earth in the form of a prison yard and, as always Freeman gave another polished performance as the prison's regular ' Sears and Roebuck ' while giving us also a moving narrative throughout the Movie. I particularly liked Director Darabont's wish to show us as much of the Prison as he can with wide shots adding another dimension to his work, and enjoyed also his ability to hold us all in suspense until the final scenes of the film when we see Dufresne finally gain his freedom with more than a little help from two lovely ladies, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe and, of course.....his rock hammer. As always in Prison Movies full of good guys wrongly convicted or otherwise, there always seems to be a sadistic Warden or Captain of the Guards in the vicinity, eager to show just who is the boss, the end of a baton, or the door to solitary. Behind the Boss's door however was the biggest crook in the place.....Warden Norton. Bob Gunton does well portraying the twisted chief of Shawshank, it was a meaty role and, as it deserves gives great credence to a pivotal character. The Shawshank Redemption is a tremendous Movie, following a long line of films made about men behind bars....... this is the best one.