They don't get much better than this

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2005)

Like most people I saw this movie (a) on the advice of a friend (b) on video. I knew very little about it, but was told "it's awesome".
The movie is built around Andy (Robbins) a real innocent man, sent to prison for the alleged murder of his wife and lover. He finds the going tough in prison ie the food is bad, his cell awful, sodomy, but he soon learns what it takes to survive. Just when you think "oh please don't' turn into Tom Selleck's 'An Innocent Man'", you are thrilled to see the movie take another direction. Some acts of kindness win some of the inmates over and he soon finds a close ally in Red (Freeman). Andy goes about making a difference in prison and instilling hope into the lives of his friends. I won't go much further but it's fair to say I've never met someone who has seen this and not been impacted. This movie is what Hollywood should be about- and it was originally written by Stephen King! Get the Special Edition DVD for some excellent bonus features, most notably a parody that is extremely clever.