Hope and Despair

Rating: 8/10 (28 April 2007)

Loosely based on a 120 page novella by Steven king, The Shawshank Redemption (1994)masterfully present the concept of survival through the twists of hope and despair. Welcome to Shawshank prison where Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is a new convict, doing life for killing his wife. Long termer Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding bets against Andy surviving the first night. This won't be the last time Red underestimates Andy, an error Red makes in good company. Corrupt Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton) and Corrections Captain Byron T. Hadley (Clancy Brown) may share in Red's mistake.
The walls they become a part of you, warns Red. First you fight them, then you accommodate yourself to them and finally you can't live without them.
James Whitmore renders a bravura performance in the poignant sub-plotted tragedy of Brooks Hatlen.
There are significant deviations from Steven King's story line. Even so, both the movie and the novella are superior works independent of each other.
The performance here rivals or exceeds King's other prison yarn The Green Mile.