Amazing.

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2001)

It's tough to say anything about this movie that hasn't already been said. We all know that it's an amazing film, full of great horror, humor, and hope, that Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are fantastic, and that the ending's one of the finest endings ever. There are just some notes I'd like to jot down.
 Have you ever noticed how easy it is to be ironic about difficult subjects? Have you ever noticed how being ironic about difficult subjects is frequently mistaken for edginess? Have you ever noticed how great and exceptional this movie is for *not* approaching its subject with irony?

 The plot to Shawshank isn't that amazing, but it's certainly nothing bad. Nobody enjoys Shawshank for the plot. The feeling one gets at the end and the characters are what makes this movie so powerful.
 I've heard some people grumble about how having the main villain being a Bible-thumper shines a bad light on people who frequently quote the Bible. I would argue that that's the case no more than Hannibal Lecter shines a bad light on intellectuals, and that if you quote the Bible in a fashion that reminds them of the Warden then you are doing something gravely wrong.