An excellent movie.

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 1999)

"The Shawshank Redemption" is one of my all time favorite movies. It tells the story about one man's journey through prison and his struggle to find a purpose in his life, in prison he meets a new good friend , Andy Dufresne, a man wrongfully accused of viciously murdering his wife.

In a way this movie is two movies rapped up into one. It not only tells the unfortunate story of a normal man in prison, and what he does there. But it also is about a man rightfully accused of murder, and does his time in prison, we find he only committed this crime as a young, stupid kid, and is full of regret, he has become wise in prison and becomes rehabilitated for normal life, he is no longer a danger to society.
His struggle to be free and search for meaning in his life is his main passion. He is convinced that hope can destroy a man, hope is not a good thing. While Andy believes that hope is the only friend one can have in prison, in solitary, hope is the only way out. Andy acts as Red's mentor and guides him to the right way of thinking. This all leads up to Andy's need of Red, and finally one of the most moving endings in movie history.

Tim Robbins is excellent in the movie. He gives the performance of his life and plays Andy Dufresne to perfection. Morgan Freeman is also very good. It shows the ups and downs in Red's life, and the way of life for a prison inmate. While also showing the meaning of hope and how hope can keep a man's faith, and as a result, himself, alive. Don't miss this, you really need to see this movie several times to completely appreciate it. But even seeing it once is heart-warming enough.