Briliiant

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2015)

I admit it, not being a fan of prison movies and being puzzled by the strange title, at first glance this film wasn't very appealing to me, but it ranks #1 on IMDb and that made me curious.
I also admit that at first I was disappointed, the beginning seemed like another Hollywood clichÃ©: man falsely convicted for murder, and it all looked like yet another fight-for-your-proper-rights movie. But after the first half hour I started realising that this is not a prison movie, neither is it a movie about hope or friendship. The background story is irrelevant for the main point of the film and could be exchanged with any other story where someone finds himself in a place of desperation. What is the true beauty of this movie is that it comprises the wisdom of thousands of years of human history, starting with the philosophical school of the ancient Greek and Roman Stoics and Cynisists and leading to the modern work of psychologists like Viktor Frankl. The film even plainly states the message in one scene, where Andy says that the one thing they cant take away from you is the freedom of thought and the freedom to chose your attitude. The first night in prison, Andy does not utter a syllable, although everybody expects him to break down as the apparent wimp he seems to be. Andy truly lives Stoic principles, never loosing it, always ahead of everybody's games. Because he is focused, not trying to change the things he cannot change, like the sadism of the wards or the fact that he most probably never will get parole, but step by step changing the things he can, while being observant of the little tweaks and holes he can exploit to his own advantage. At the end of the movie you realise that he had a plan from day one, and with endurance and focus managed to pull through. Also he never lets go of his guiding principles, which makes him incredibly strong in such a harsh environment. Andy does not simply hope to get released one day, he does everything in his power to regain freedom, and through this attitude creates a leverage so strong that he is even able to crush his enemies in the end.
At the end also Red gets it, instead of trying to manipulate the committee into giving him parole by telling them what he thinks they want to hear, he speaks of the only thing he had the power to change, his attitude towards life, and promptly gets released.
The topic alone would be sufficient to propel this movie into the top ten of the best films ever made, but it is further enhanced through a captivating story and narrative, wonderful photography, and a superb acting performance of practically every actor involved. Morgan Freeman sticks out for me, because I admittedly have a weak spot for him, but that does not diminish the contribution of the rest of the cast.
I guess it will always remain debatable which movie is "the best", I think one should not taint the extraordinary contribution of this movie to film history with such petty discussions. Without the slightest doubt this is one of - if not the - best movie(s) I've ever seen.