As good a movie as you'll ever see

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2011)

My gosh, where to begin with this movie.....practically everything was nailed, spot-on. The story is as compelling and ultimately uplifting as one will ever find in cinema -- from the very get-go we see Andy Dufresne in a courtroom, being sentenced to life in prison for the murder of two people. So instinctively, we believe this must be true -- after all the judge did rule him guilty, right? But over time Andy grows on us, until we learn of his actual innocence, and by the end of the movie one can't help but root him on in his pursuit of freedom. Tim Robbins is the perfect assignment to play Andy, as Robbins' lesser-known status as an actor (as opposed to Tom Hanks, who was considered for this role) eases his task of being the quiet, tranquil Andy who prefers to keep to his own business. Andy's easygoing yet pensive nature makes him the ideal protagonist, as he is an independent thinker yet he can peacefully interact with all others.
His friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman) is the backbone of The Shawshank Redemption. Red, a contraband smuggler, may be different from Andy in almost all respects, but over the years Andy earns Red's respect through his acts of courage and selflessness. This movie teaches that title does not have to dictate behavior -- a man who is in prison can be as kind and generous as anyone outside of prison walls -- it all depends on how far you're willing to look into that man's heart. I also love the fact that the friendship of the two men heightens very gradually -- that seems far more realistic than the instant-friends that one often sees in all mediums of story telling. This one takes time to develop, creating a profundity in the relationship and contributing to one of the movie's themes (time). This theme teaches us how much things can change over time, and also lends to the purported notion that Andy and Red have been in prison for a very long time.
Red's narration is one of the standout features of The Shawshank Redemption. It is both poignant and insightful, allowing us unlimited access to his mind, which makes our empathy for him so real. While in most other films we learn about characters only through dialogue, in this one Red divulges practically everything to us. His abandonment of hope and eventual love for Andy makes him a tragic figure that should pull at the heartstrings of all viewers. When we first see him attempt to receive parole in 1947, he seems to be no more than an unfeeling criminal. But by 1967 when he's trying to leave Shawshank Prison after 40 years of incarceration, we hang on every word of his memorable "rehabilitated" speech. And when he meets Andy on the beach in the final scene, and the two peacefully embrace with a hug as the camera fades away, it is hard to hold back tears of joy.
A significant aspect of this film is its theme of institutionalization. We are made to scrutinize exactly what prison does to people. How does a man adapt to freedom again, once he has been released? All Brooks Hatlen could land was a job as a grocery bagger and a room in a halfway house. This inauspicious lifestyle, plus the insecurities of being away from familiar faces while among all the technological/social changes since the start of his 50-year sentence, overwhelmed Brooks, as we all saw in a speechlessly dramatic suicide scene. Red lived in much the same fear before he decided to take off and cross the border to visit Andy. So we're forced to ask ourselves: does even a finite prison sentence essentially end the free will of its recipient? Is it better to leave the inmate in prison in certain cases? This cuts deeply into the philosophy of society's legal system.
But the overarching theme of The Shawshank Redemption is hope. Hope is a wonderful, vital virtue that should never be absent in any human heart. Andy echoes this through his audacious acts (be it offering financial advice to Hadley or playing classical music over the prison intercom (which is one of the finest scenes you will ever see in cinema)). He vocalizes his faith in hope to his inmates when he claims that his two weeks in solitary confinement were the "easiest" he'd ever done, all thanks to the music he kept in his head. He tells Red "get busy living, or get busy dying" and uses the death of Brooks as his evidence, much to Red's initial chagrin. Yes, Andy is built into an icon for hope in this movie, and that is what makes it so universally successful in its appeal. Hope can and should be adopted by every human being who graces the earth. This notion is expressed through Andy's entire struggle, as well as in Thomas Newman's incredible musical score for the film (which is so good it has been used in multiple movie trailers before to evoke emotional response). This precious lesson, told through a film in which literally everything is perfectly mastered, is what makes The Shawshank Redemption one of the greatest films ever made.