Freeman

Rating: 10/10 (19 October 2017)

The Shawshank Redemption is about a Wrongly convicted, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in in Maine's Shawshank prison for the murders of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy learns to get by in the brutal confines of prison, even earning the respect of his fellow inmates, most notably the long time convict "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman). While being an R rated film I didn't feel like it was an R rated film. I mean there were some scenes, other than that it could've been rated a PG-13, but it's not up to me. The Drama/Crime film was surprising on first view but in the best world, I literally watched it straight after I watched for the first time, although it does have a running time of 142 minutes. It was well worth it. I now know some of the most iconic scenes ever in film history, I knew them before but I never understood until I watched it for the first time. I think one of the most touching and in terms of the film itself, one of the biggest scenes was the death of Brookes. I wasn't able to handle it, you know that feeling you get when you're watching a film and you can kind of guess what's about to happen but you don't want it to happen, so you're sat there like no, no, no, no, no, you know? In the film it becomes clear that the prison is corrupt with inside deals and businesses going on, it is also revealed to the audience that the prison does not follow the prison standards of the state and that it does what it wants. Such as, when on the first night Andy is in his cell and all of the other prisoners tell him and are talking about who there is always one who cracks first, it turns out to be a guy only a few cells away from Andy, we then see how the guards deal with the situation in a sarcastic manner and how they blatantly don't care at all, as they proceed to actually club the guy to death. It is deeper than most films; about continuity in a lifetime, based on friendship and hope. Interesting that although the hero of the film is the convicted former banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), the action is never seen from his point of view. The film's opening scene shows him being given two life sentences for the murder of his wife and her lover, and then we move, permanently, to a point of view representing the prison population and particularly the lifer Ellis 'Red' Redding (Morgan Freeman). It is his voice remembering the first time he saw Andy ("looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over"), and predicting, wrongly, that he wouldn't make it in prison. . We've been shown by Andy's example that you have to keep true to yourself, not lose hope, bide your time, set a quiet example and look for your chance. "I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really," he tells Red. "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." The key to the film's structure, I think, is that it's not about its hero, but about our relationship with him - our curiosity, our pity, our admiration. If Andy had been the heroic center, bravely enduring, the film would have been conventional, and less mysterious. But we wonder about this guy. Did he really kill those two people? Why does he keep so much to himself? Why can he amble through the prison yard like a free man on a stroll, when everyone else plods or sidles? The movie avoids lingering on Andy's suffering; after beatings, he's seen in medium and long shot, tactfully. The camera doesn't focus on Andy's wounds or bruises, but, like his fellow prisoners, gives him his space. There's an underlying problem. Behind bars, Red is king. He's the prison fixer, able to get you a pack of cigarettes, a little rock pick or a Rita Hayworth poster. On the outside, he has no status or identity. We've already seen what happened to the old librarian (James Whitmore), lonely and adrift in freedom. The last act, in which Andy helps Red accept his freedom, is deeply moving - all the more so because Andy again operates at a distance, with letters and postcards, and is seen through Red's mind. Roger Deakins' cinematography is tactful, not showy. Two opening shots, one from a helicopter, one of prison walls looming overhead, establish the prison. Shots follow the dialogue instead of anticipating it. If you have not seen this film, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!!? Follow me on Instagram @gabewatling and Twitter @gmwatling