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Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2013)

Life in ShawShank Prison coalesces criminality, corruption, death, truth, god and hope into a wonderful film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Set in the 1940's, Andy Dufresne is a young and successful banker whose life is altered forever when he is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover.
Shawshank demonstrates how quickly and naively the criminal justice system can wrongly convict a man and alter his destiny forever. Lady justice clearly is incapable of knowing all things and rendering perfect judgment.
An innocent man at heart, Andy, with the help of his friend Red, showcase the life of prisoners and put on full display internal prison dynamics, the effects of lengthy prison sentences on the soul, the process of rehabilitation, and the will to survive with hope to live and fight another day.
Following his conviction, Andy is tortured by a small immoral gang of rapists until the warden places him in his protective womb. In exchange for his services and help with financial matters Andy's stature grows and his influence spreads. A friendly relationship develops over the years, with Andy eventually processing tax returns, and subsequently running a fraudulent scheme for the warden.
Surprise twists find its way in the form of a truth telling inmate overhearing the real killer of Andy's wife. Warden Norton wants no part in this, fearing for his operations and control of the institution. Quickly he pours ice on the idea, and subjugates Andy to physical torment to bend his will.
Ever the precocious young lad, Andy secretly plots for over 20 years and reveals an astounding and ingenious strike to send Warden Norton into a suicidal finale.
Shawshank is a classic, darker than The Green Mile, yet truthfully a reflection of how the system can go so very wrong. Sometimes, truth and justice are not good enough, and one must rely on himself to adequately realign the scales.