Enthralling, fantastic, intriguing, truly remarkable!

Rating: 10/10 (17 April 2009)

Shawshank Redemption is without doubt one of the best films ever made, and definitely the best film of 1994. Yes, it is better than Lion King, and I really like that too. It is not only enthralling but powerful and moving too. I will confess that I didn't understand it when I first saw it as a lot happens in the film, and I have now seen it three times. I seriously hope, that those who ignored the film when it was first released now recognise it as a great film, as it really is. The dialogue was extremely well-written, with lines that really stick in your mind. The cinematography and music are both gorgeous, and the prison itself is like a character that dominates the film. In the script, there are some true elements of Stephen King Now I admit I am not a huge king fan, and usually don't like coarse language in books. But in his books like It, which is very good, I have accepted the language represents brutality and rebellion, shown perfectly in the film with the battle of acceptance I suppose between the inmates and the superiors(like the scene with the warden yelling coarse language at the new inmates lined up in a row at the beginning.)The acting was exceptional. I am not hugely familiar with Tim Robbins, but he did a great job in a very demanding role. The best performance however, comes from Morgan Freeman as Red, who was seriously robbed of that Oscar, that he lost to Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump. Freeman reminds me very strongly, or his style of acting does, remind me of that of Sean Connery, suave yet very charismatic. Acting isn't just about your vocal range, it's about depth, which was what Freeman certainly had. In short, Freeman was brilliant in what could be his best performance. The scene where the inmates are listening to the Mozart aria over the speakers was a beautiful profound moment, and I actually cried in Brook's death scene. Very rarely do King adaptations translate-to screen well, because of the large scale of the author's books, with the exception of this and the Shining. Some like It and Dreamcatcher are genuinely memorable but have a number of flaws that prevent them from being classed as outstanding. And some, like Thinner and Tommyknockers that border on unwatchable. In conclusion Shawshank is a brilliant film, that is worthy of the credit it has been denied for so-long. 10/10 of course. Bethany Cox.