A Triumph of the Human Spirit

Rating: 9/10 (27 September 2005)

I saw this movie at the end of a particularly bad and miserable day in my life and it is safe to say that I was not particularly looking forward to this one.
Two and a half hours later I was on my feet again and was once more prepared to look the world in the eyes. Such is the power of this movie.
Tim Robbins plays a sincere man who is sent to to jail for a crime he did not commit. Inside, he meets extraordinary human beings, all of who you will fall in love with within minutes of meeting them. Chief among these is the character of Red, played by none other than the legendary Morgan Freeman.
Together with Andy and Red you learn about life and friendship and the evils inherent in human nature. You laugh with them, are sad with them and feel their pain, and in the end, when the two friends meet again on a remote beach years later, you finally break down and cry with them.
This movie is emotionally powerful and reminds us once again what the movies should be.
It is not sentimental in any way, and that is a rarity these days. And if you do not feel sad, and your heart does not beat faster with Morgan Freeman's soliloquoy at the end, you cannot call yourself human. For, then, you have missed one of the greatests gifts one can receive: a passion for life.