The Shawshank Redemption

Released 1994
Stars Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows
Directed by Frank Darabont

When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among their all-time favorites.

Summary by Jeff Shannon

"The Shawshank Redemption" is on cable at least every other day, and I think I've seen it about a hundred times by now. I think it's one of the greatest films ever made, and it's surprising it took me so long to finally watch the uncut version on DVD. I remember avoiding this movie years ago, because I have no sympathy for criminals. I don't enjoy feeling sorry for the "poor bastards" while everyone forgets about the victims, but this isn't that kind of movie. It's about the struggle to remain human in prison, but it doesn't excuse the crimes. What really makes the story work is that Andy (Tim Robbins) doesn't whine and wheedle about his innocence. He accepts his fate and makes the best of it despite being routinely brutalized, and that makes it an uplifting story of hope. One reason is Red's voice-over, which allows him to make observations that wouldn't work in dialogue. Morgan Freeman plays Red, but he really plays two characters. There's the convict, who is practical about his fate in prison and is a jaded, guarded person. Then there's the narrator, who speaks in retrospect and positively beams about his savior, Andy. His narration is elegiac and loving, and those feelings permeate the film. It's the reason this prison film, that involves many acts of brutality, actually makes us feel good. --Bill Alward, December 11, 2003