A first class piece of film-making

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 2002)

The prision movie is one of those rare genres where more or less every film turns out to be a winner (The Great Escape, Pappilon, Midnight Express), but The Shawshank Redemption of 1994 may well take its place as the best of them all. Frank Darabont's hugely impressive picture cuts a remarkable balance in paying attention to the harsh realities brutalities of prison life whilst also successfully conveying the power and determination of the human spirit.
Tim Robbins is Andy DeFrans, a banker sent to the maximum security Shawshank prison for life for the alleged murder of his wife and lover, where he strikes up a friendship with the seasoned convict Red (Morgan Freeman). The film has enjoyed huge popularity and acclaim since its surprisingly passive 1994 release (perhaps due to the attention surronding Forrest Gump) and almost certainly deserves its label as a contemporary classic; few films carry such a magnetic, absorbing and attentive pull. The result is something that not only ranks as great entertainment but a chance for the viewer themselves to enjoy and appreciate a first-class piece of screenwriting and film-making.