Excellent movie, but just goes to show ....

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2011)

This is one of my favorite movies, but it does just go to show the importance of a great script, good casting and good direction. By that I mean that, for example, in this movie, the Tim Robbins character looks like someone who's admirable in every way in the world. But in real life, I saw Tim Robbins on some TV show where he was interviewed, and he came across as about as smart as a doorknob. I rate the movie an 8 and rate Tim Robbins a 5. What a jackass. Morgan Freeman is topnotch as always, and so is James Whitmore. Real professionals. So is Bob Gunton, the warden. To Tim Robbins credit, this was one of the best jobs he ever did, and maybe the very best. Also an unusually good job for Stephen King, who, in this flick, took a break from his usual moronic horror stories.