The Best Story Ever Told

Rating: Null/10 (20 January 2002)

If you didn't like The Shawshank Redemption, then you don't understand the concept of the film. Shawshank is the epitome of good film-making -- a fresh, interesting, verisimilar, detailed story coupled with acting that makes Tim Robbins stand out in my mind as Andy Dufresne himself. The imagery is beautiful, the story has few, if any, holes, and Morgan Freeman plays the character of Red, the film's narrator, exceedingly well. To those who find it unnatural that a murderer has matured into a wise, thoughtful man during a long tenure in prison, I suggest that there is no more logical place for such a transformation. Red has had 20 years (upon Andy's arrival) to think about the crimes of his youth, and has grown as a result. In short, Shawshank is a movie for people who like good stories. It will make you laugh, it might make you cry, and in the end, you'll simply feel good about life itself.