A great story, with great performances

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2001)

A faithful telling of Stephen King's novelette "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption", this movie explores a wide range of emotions without ever feeling sensational or melodramatic. It's a really good story told really well on film (unlike a lot of King adaptations).
Tim Robbins is absolutely fantastic as the "fresh" inmate, radiating intelligence, courage, innocence, and mystery with equal ability. Morgan Freeman plays the wily veteran convict who forges a respectful friendship with Robbins, and since it's Freeman, you know he does a good job.
There's no special effects wizardry, no furious action, no steamy romance, no clever "Pulp Fiction" banter. It takes place virtually entirely in a prison, so there isn't much distraction with location, scenery, or movement. This movie is pure story and character, which really makes you appreciate just how amazing the performances are.
The movie is basically the gradual discovery of what Robbins' character is all about--what he's done, what's he's thinking, how he's going to end up. The strength of the acting, and the adherence to King's work does a superb job in making you sincerely care about the past and fate of this man.
There is also a good deal of subtle philosophical elements to the movie, which doesn't hurt. Certainly the penal system as we know it is questioned, but there is also a broader view of life itself, almost in the Victor Frankl "Man's Search for Meaning" kind of way, where the strength of the human spirit is tested to the extreme. What does it take to destroy hope and happiness?
There exists only a handful of movies that I'll ever rate a solid 10. This is easily one of them.