One of My Favorite Films

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2020)

This is one of those films that I can watch over and over. It covers a period of Andy Dufresne's incarceration at Shawshank prison, which is a time span of about 20 years, and you would think that a prison film wouldn't be one that you want to watch over and over.... but the characters are so engaging, we feel like we come to know them, and we enjoy their company. None of the actors ever strike a false note. In a lot of films there are moments that don't "ring true," when you can see the actor acting and in that moment, disbelief is suspended. Sometimes it happens so often that you're never really able to completely immerse yourself in the story. That never happens in Shawshank because the actors, the dialogue and the direction are perfectly crafted to create an environment that engages you in such a way that you're drawn into their world. Although I've watched this movie a dozen times, it never fails to draw me in and it feels like we're right there in Shawshank prison with our friends Red and Andy and Brooks. Truly a must-see.