One of the best films I ever saw.

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2002)

First, I would like to say I did not see this film when it originally came out in the movies. The trailers and the fact it was a "prison" film never interested me. My manager recommended it about three years ago to me when I was looking for films to rent on a cold snowy weekend. Because it did have Morgan Freeman in it, I made a mental note and said to myself, "If its available I may give it a go". All my manager would tell me was it was "long, drawn out and tedious" but that I should hang with it cause it would be "well worth the wait". Now he's a decent manager but our lifestyles are so different outside of work, I was like "yeah right. He would recommend something that I would like." But it was available and I rented it. I held on to it for seven days, about to just take it back since it was due without watching it but hey--I hated to feel like I wasted money.
I watched it and I did not waste my money.
This has become to me one of the best films I have ever seen(so far) in my life. It was long but I got into it slowly, methodically and so captivatingly, the time drifted slowly. Sucking me in, I could hardly know what to expect. And what I expected didn't happen and I just was transfixed. Tim Robbins to me was brilliant. He painstakingly went through those years, aging and moving forward through all the disappointments, growth and experiences as if he were in a long chess game. I became so caught up I could not even begin to think about how this would turn out all the stories and events.
And when the end came, I was just blown away by it. I truly loved all performances and so many "character actors" now are faces and names I know and they all performed well and are remembered in my head when I see them--for this movie.
I find myself recommending it now to people and I too ask them to "hang with it. its well worth the wait".