Definitely good but deserves no pedestal

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2001)

I enjoyed "The Shawshank Redemption," but it is not a movie in its own league, as so many seem to say. Starting off, it is almost a sure thing that no prison movie could ever be in that category for me. The closest would be "Papillon", which is clearly better than this, and other movies are better at capturing general mistreatments of prisoners even as they focus on certain main characters. Here, altho there were other instances of abuse, the emphasis is on the main character in his role in the story, not the society of prison inmates. Not that I am a particular lover of the total depressing side, but to communicate negative qualities of a prison, the bad stuff needs to be presented more--the violence more graphic, the negative conditions more thoughtfully. I know people cite the story as well, but I think if this movie is to be on such a high pedestal there should be something more special about the portrayal of life in prison, and there isn't.
I thought the acting performances of Tim Robbins (who plays chief character Andrew Dufresne) and Morgan Freeman were, similarly, quite good but not great, and although I was into the story, it just did not bring tears to my eyes. I don't think the "twists" were all that unique--I guess I've been jaded by the modern (80s onward) murder dramas. Nevertheless, the storyline was good, the warden nice and despicable, and there were interesting ideas re Dufresne's functions in prison. The ending was also well done, and I acknowledge, somewhat moving. Certainly recommended.