The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2018)

Brilliantly crafted film from beginning to end that has only gotten better with age. The cast gives career best performances, with Morgan Freeman cementing his place as Hollywood's favorite narrator in Red while Robbins is charming & mysterious as Andy Dufrane. They are surrounded by an excellent supporting cast, particularly Robert Gunton as the menacing warden & James Whitmore as the tragically fated Brooks. Behind the camera, Frank Darabont brilliantly adapts Stephen King's story and quite frankly improves it by condensing the story & characters (this, like "Jaws", "The Godfather", & "The Princess Bride" rank as films that are actually better than their books). His direction is nicely non-flashy & gives the actors plenty of time to breathe. He also doesn't cheat in building towards the brilliant ending (one of the best in film history) laying clues but not spelling them out, making repeat viewing all the more fun (notice how Andy is only presented from other's perspectives & not his own). Simply put, one of the best film's produced in the last 30 years and a classic by any definition.