The Shawshank Redemption - A wonderful, inspiring story.

Rating: 9/10 (5 March 2017)

There are quite a few films that, upon watching, just leave you with your mouth open, thinking "Now that's a great movie!".
Really. There aren't many, for me at least. But "The Shawshank Redemption" is certainly one of those unforgettable films that I'll gladly watch again at any time, if I have the opportunity to do so. "The Shawshank Redemption", no matter how cliché it might seem, is one of the best stories I've ever seen on film. It is beautiful and shocking, funny and sad, desperate and hopeful - all at the same time. Though the story may not start off too clear, it masterfully unfolds along the course of the movie, and leads to a magnificent, satisfying ending. A great decision was casting Morgan Freeman for this film; additionally to his beautiful, poetic narration, for me it remains one of his definitive roles - Ellis "Red" Redding, an aged prison inmate, who seems to have been in Shawshank for most of his life and has come to peace with his fate, until he meets that wonderful young man, Andy Dufresne, who significantly changes not only Red's life, but the lives of everybody in Shawshank.
This movie, of course, has a few drawbacks, just a few little plot holes which aren't really a big deal, but the main idea of the movie compensates for them very well.
There is a reason this movie is so well-loved. If you just sum up the script, it is a very simple story. But this story is full of emotion, conflict, feelings, and most of all - hope. The main theme of this movie is hope - the light that shines in each and every one of Shawshank's inmates, and the brightest of all - in Andy. "Remember Red..." - Andy tells his friend. - "...hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies".
"The Shawshank Redemption" is a must-see to everyone - those who are true movie lovers and those who are not, this film will touch your heart. It may not be the greatest film ever, but it is definitely worth a watch.
9/10