Friendship

Rating: 9/10 (26 November 2005)

Still ranked #2 on IMDb:s top 250-list, this is not one of those epic masterpieces like resident #1 "The Godfather". Rather this is a small and quite low-key film that brings up some of the biggest concepts in life. And that it certainly speaks to people can be seen from the grade if nothing else.
I had watched this movie a few years ago, and i didn't really understand then what all the fuss was about. I enjoyed it, surely, but not in the way that other people seemed to. But having recently watched it again i must say that the message finally drove home. For several reasons this is an amazing film.
First of all the concepts it touches. Justice, fairness, endurance, hope and of course above all friendship. Seldom have i seen a movie so filled with emotion and still it's not weighted down by it. The movie is one of the few i have seen where all this emotion truly feels justified. Not least because of the second reason why this is an amazing movie: the actors. Tim Robbins is one of my personal favorites, an amazing actor to say the least. He almost never fails to deliver and here he is mesmerizing. Morgan Freeman is another stable and dependable actor, but i don't think he has ever been as good as he is here. And they are supported by a very well balanced and well chosen supporting cast. Finally Frank Darabonts directing is done with the lightest touch and an amazing attention to detail. He never lets things slide out of hand as they often do when strong emotions are present.
While i find this to be an amazing film the high average score here at IMDb still surprises me somewhat. It's a great movie, but it's not the kind of movie i expected so many people would consider great. But maybe it's just because what we have here is a movie about the greatest thing life has to offer; friendship. And an unlikely friendship at that, simple to understand and simple to appreciate. This is a feel-good movie in the best way imaginable - one where you must first pass through fire before you reach redemption.
9/10