The grim reality of prison life

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2009)

Andy is a innocent man, who is thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit, he finds himself having to survive and in turn begins a life long friendship with another inmate.
This film is raw and intense, it doesn't hide the brutal honesty of prison life. I found myself at times cringing at certain scenes that are very hard to watch.
Through this film I felt Andy's pain, his sadness, his fear and his rage; his yearning to be a free man once again and then his happiness as he breaks away from the clutches of that evil place.
The acting is top-notch, all the actors give great performances, especially Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman whose narration gives the audience something to hold onto. I found it quite sad, when Red is released; a man who has spent his whole life behind bars and is unable to find any kind of belonging...until he finally decides to go after his old friend.
But for me, it is when Andy chisels away night after night and crawls his way to freedom that brought tears to my eyes....As he screams out, while the rain falls on him. It's one the greatest moments in cinema, I began to breath once again; something I was unable to do throughout the film.
Simply mesmerising.