Not Just Another Prison Film......

Rating: 10/10 (9 June 2007)

I was at the video store with my girlfriend and we wanted to rent out a few movies. I decided that one of the films we should rent out is 'The Shawshank Redemption'. I had always wondered why it had such good ratings as well as being positioned at #2 in the IMDb Top 250, and I thought I would see just how good the movie really was.
When the film concluded in a way that I would have never conceded, I sat there in front of the TV surprised and dumbfounded. When my girlfriend asked me what was wrong, I simply just said "That....is the greatest movie I have ever seen in my entire life." It was not just an ordinary and clichÃ©d film I was watching, it was art on the screen, 2 and a half hours of extraordinary cinematography, unforgettable acting, and a plot so compelling, that you just did not want it to end. Morgan Freeman as Red and Tim Robbins as Andy are the perfect choices for their respective roles. The prison setting is so daunting and visually satisfying, while the corruption by the warden and the guards is dreadfully brutal yet extraordinarily eye popping. I normally dislike some movies that normally go for over 2 hours as I think they are just dragging on, but Shawshank along with very few others kept me glued to the screen in suspense. I hung onto every scene and every word uttered in the entire film.
'The Shawshank Redemption' is unique in its own little way, and it has affirmed my belief that hope and courage through adversity is possible and rewarding. Not many movies are made like this, and I just hope that there is a movie like, but probably not as good as, 'The Shawshank Redemption' that will be made in this hostile and cruel 21st Century. Movies like this really change lives.
10/10