Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

At first I had no idea what this movie would really be about, other than it's "another prison flick". So settling in to watch it, I was taken by surprise. The strength of this movie, in my opinion, is not in the special effects or scenery - it takes place mostly within the walls of a cold uncaring prison. The strength lies in the development of the people in the movie, and how the movie allows for the interactions between them.

The star of the movie is Andy, (Tim Robbins) a respected and wealthy businessman and banker. You meet him right away in the movie, as you watch a man who knows his wife is unfaithful, pondering evil revengeful thoughts, and even moving to act upon them....then arrested and standing trial for double murder.....whether it is pure bad luck or dumb fate that conspires against him, he has no alibi, and cannot prove his innocence, so he is sent to Shawshank, to serve two life sentences.

from the first moment he arrives, it is evident he does not "fit in" - he is different than these convicts, and it shows in his every move - the way he walks, the things he says, his concern for another inmate when he wonders if anyone knew the man's name....the other prisoners notice, and while he is able to make a couple friends, he is targeted for continued attacks and violent rapes by some.

It would be reasonable to imagine that he would give up, but he seems to have some invisible strength within him. He meets and becomes friends with another convicted murderer, Red, played by Morgan Freeman, when he asks about getting his hands on a small rock hammer. His rock carving and polishing gives him something to do to while away the long months and years.

Because of his friendship with Red, he finds himself on a team of workers allowed to leave the prison for a day-job, and while there, he overhears one of the guards complaining about a financial issue, that Andy understands, so he tells the guard what he could do, to keep his money.

It makes an impact on the guard, and that impact carries up to the warden, who moves Andy from his duties in the laundry, where he was continually being threatened and assaulted, to the library, where he meets another lifer, this one having been in prison for nearly 50 years. They become friends, and Andy starts a campaign to improve the prison library, and succeeds, tho it takes him nearly 5 years to do it.

He is able to give some tax advice to another guard, and finds himself preparing the tax documents for the entire prison, including the warden. This responsibility brings him to the warden's attention, and he is moved "upstairs" - keeping the prison records, documenting funds for the warden, preparing the warden's retirement, etc.

When a new prisoner arrives that can lead to the truth of Andy's innocence being heard finally, he is elated, and brings the news to the warden, only to have it shut down. It becomes apparent that he will never be free, that he will end his life behind these bars.

The story does not end there, and there are many surprises yet to come, the most important one when his friends worry that he might have reached the end of his own strength, and given up, even asking for a length of rope. It is a tense moment, in the morning, when he does not come out of his cell, and they watch, waiting, fearful that he may have hanged himself...

This is not how the story ends, and I do not want to spoil it for anyone who has not yet seen it...but what happens next will surprise you, as it did me, the first time I saw it, and every time I have seen it since.

What I enjoyed in this movie was the actors, and how their personalities developed. It is not a movie that has so many scenes, so you can concentrate on getting to know each person, and even liking some of them, even those who are "really guilty". There are those who discover strength within themselves, and are able to stand up when it matters. There are those whose weakness takes over, so they wither and crumble.

The movie does have a good ending, even a happy one, if all things are considered, and I do recommend it - it will make you think long after seeing it, and it may challenge some of your own feelings. I think that is a good thing.

This is not a movie for children, with its violent graphic scenes. There may not be many movies out there that you can say "it ended just the way it should have" - well this one does. It reminds us that friendship can last forever, that the truth really can win, and persistence does pay off.

I hope you enjoy it.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age