Freeman gives it depth

Rating: 8/10 (8 December 2013)

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is a banker convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. He always professes his innocence, but is thrown into Shawshank Prison with other lifers like Red (Morgan Freeman).
Director Frank Darabont has made a prison fable out of a Stephen King short story. It is well acted by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Freeman is especially important as he is the narrator and the POV of the story. It's his lyrical voice that makes this fable compelling. It could have easily been a simple prison movie that rang hollow. Freeman gave the readings depth.
If there is one complaint, it is Andy's claim of innocence. It needs to be shown early on during the trial. Instead, we derived mostly from Andy's demeanor. It needs to be a big declaration at the beginning. When Tommy (Gil Bellows) tells the story, he should include one detail from the trial like the 8 bullets. That way, the audience can get an aha moment. It's a minor point, and overall this is a good prison fable.