"Prison is no fairy tale world."

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2002)

I never fail to be captivated by this film when I watch it.This,indeed, is no run of the mill prison flick.It is really not a prison movie at all.True,it takes place in a prison,but it is really a story about what lies beyond the prison walls;freedom itself.Some within the prison walls crave it,desire it.Others fear it,simply because prison has become their home,and freedom would remove them from their comfort zone.This is a sad reality made all too clear,here.This is also a story of hope and tenacity.You find yourself looking at the film's main character, Andy Dufresne (played brilliantly by Tim Robbins),and you find yourself wanting to have as much smarts,and tenacity as he does.You also find yourself looking at Andy's close friend,Ellis "Red" Redding (played with flawless perfection,as always,by Morgan Freeman),and wanting to go back and correct all the stupid things you did when you were young. You look at Brooks (James Whitmore) and you are saddened to realize that having been imprisoned so long,that he is doomed,never to fit in,in this ever rapidly changing world.Being released,in fact,becomes a worse hell than being incarcerated in the first place.There are many individual characters to look at from different angles,and this is what makes Shawshank a great film.Don't miss it.