Breaking Big Rocks Into Little Rocks

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2014)

This Film has a Strange History. Nominated for Seven Oscars (winning none) the Movie was not a Box-Office Hit and Faded pretty much into Obscurity as an Arty Film with two Lead Actors Delivering Standard Good Work, but Nothing to get Excited about.
But Something Happened that is Really Unexplainable. People got Excited about it. No one seems to know Why or What Manifested said Excitement, it just Happened. A Resurrection to become one of the most Beloved Movies Ever. Managing to Steadily Climb to "God-Like" Status among Best of Lists and Fanatic Praise.
It is a Fine Movie. A Throwback Movie. A more or less Standard Storytelling of Human Perseverance and Hope against Outrageous Misfortune. A Feel Good Film that has made a lot of People Feel Good. Nothing Really Out of the Ordinary Happens as far as Prison Dramas go. But what does Happen is done with such Subtlety and Pathos that the Long Sentence of the Running Time goes by Effortlessly.
This is a Great Movie that Never tries to be Great. it's just a Smooth, Entertaining, and Effective Personal Prison Drama with some Social Messaging and Character Explorations. The Usual Prison Sledgehammer Approach gives way to a Rock Hammer. Small and Light, but it gets the Job Done.