This review has been sitting around for quite some time. I simply wasn't sure if my, sometimes inadequate, words could do it justice.

I've edited it several times and then decided to take my cue from Writer/Director Frank Darabont. He must have gone over the script for this movie and decided not to use three words when one would suffice. The resulting final script is awe inspiring and makes this movie one of my favorites.

Be patient with me, at more than 2 hours in length, this movie deserves an equally lengthy review.

Please don't regard my synopsis of the Plot as a spoiler. This movie is not a who-dun-it where it is vital to keep the ending a secret.

At first glance the plot is about a banker who is wrongfully convicted of shooting his wife and her lover. Eventually a plan for escape forms and is realized. But the actual story of the movie lies in the time between his first day in prison and the rolling of the final credits.

I can find this story in the interaction of a group of prisoners, two in particular, and the daily kindnesses they do for each other. Little as these acts are, they are what makes a lifetime behind prison bars at least tolerable.

There is a scene later on in the movie where Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) unpacks a load of books and albums for the prison library in the warden's office. The guard who is supervising leaves Dufresne alone in the office. Dufresne locks himself in , chooses an album and turns on the prison intercom. Within minutes every prisoner drops what they are doing and listens to the beautiful music. The
resulting dialogue (spoken by Morgan Freeman) goes like this:

"I have no idea to this day what these two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is I don't wanna know. Some things are best left unsaid."

The movie opens with a synopsis of both Tim Robbins' and Morgan Freeman's characters before they met. This is brief (the first ten minutes or so) but beautifully done. The shots pan back and forth for Robbins' character between the courtroom and the scene of the crime. For Freeman's character they are entirely centered at the prison. I'd like to think this was done deliberately to tell me that
Robbins' character still had a life where he could change location at will and Freeman's character did not.

The story does not really start with the synopsis. It starts when Freeman's character "Red" turns into the storyteller with these few words:

" Andy came to Shawshank in early 1947"

From this point on, the movie has me spellbound. I don't want to miss a single nuance and I watched it twice the first day I owned it to make sure I didn't miss anything. I have watched it multiple times since then and still find details I missed before. This is one of those movies that gets better every time I watch it. It is one of the few movies that, once I hit the Play button, I will not pause or stop for anything.

The characters are portrayed with superb professionalism. I'm sure the writing and direction have a lot to do with it. But I also believe that each actor held their craft to exceptionally high standards while working on this movie.

All actors quickly immerse themselves in their characters. So much so that sometimes I think of Robbins and Freeman as "Dufresne" and "Red" when I see them in other movies.

The introduction of new characters is done so quietly that often I am not aware at first that another character has entered the scene.

Most of the major supporting characters are actually shown when the Bus carrying Robbins first enters the prison. But since I am not aware that these characters will play a major role, I quickly put them out of my mind until they re-appear. The prison warden and some of the guards are as much "in your face" as they should be. They are the gatekeepers and their cruelty often knows no bounds.

Fairly early in the movie one of the prisoners cannot take the pressure of being locked up. He breaks down and is so severely beaten by the guards that he will not survive. This is conveyed to me equally by showing me the actual beating and adding the right amount of dialogue.

Other prisoner's characters enter the scene based on their temperament. The openly homosexual group who tries to convert Robbins to their lifestyle is loud, brutal and shows no mercy. But the character of "Heywood" (played by William Sadler) enters much more quietly. His character is an illiterate, southern bred hick ("...The Count of Monty Crisco - by Alexander Dumba...ss"), but not stupid.

Sadler's character often provides the transition needed between the two main characters and the introduction of new ones.

"Brooks" (James Whitmore) is such a character. He shows up several times throughout the movie, but I don't get to know him until he puts a knife to Heywood's throat. The transition to Robbins and Freeman talking him out of slitting a friends throat is only possible with Sadler's character as go-between.

Time and time again you will see me come back to the dialogue. Great acting requires a great script and in this movie more so than others. Because the scenes are restrained and never openly agressive, the dialogue becomes ever more important. Throughout the entire movie the dialogue is brief and restrained. Frank Darabont must be well aware that when you take sparse scenes and mix them with sparse dialogue, you will end up with a movie that is superbly crafted. That is not to say that the dialogue is not eloquent.

Freeman again being the storyteller, talks about the first night for the new "fish" (prisoners):

"The first night is the toughest.
they march you in naked as the day you were born.
Skin burning and half blind from that delousing sh.t they throw on you.
And when they put you in that cell and those bars slam home, that's when you know it's for real.
Your old life thrown away in the blink of an eye.
Nothing left but all the time in the world to think about anything...."

I have yet to come across a scene in this movie where this restraint does not work. Making Freeman the storyteller and not Robbins was genius. Freeman's deeper voice is somewhat soothing and a joy to listen to, whereas Robbins' higher pitched one would probably grate on my nerves after a while.

Part of what makes all this work is not only the actual words, but the way they are spoken. In the scene just quoted Freeman does not get exited. Why should he? He's been in Shawshank long enough to have seen plenty of new prisoners come in. He does not whisper either. Again - why should he? So the guards won't hear him? His parole has already been denied, so what are they going to do? Lock him up? Yes, I know, the words are only in is head. But if I can hear them the guards can too, right?

Yes it gets loud. It's a prison. But for every loud scene there's a whisper. For every temperamental outbreak there's a moment where time stands still. In this movie it's all about balance. There is humor. Either in funny lines and the way they are presented, or in some of the scenes itself. But it's subtle and never overdone.

All this is accompanied by a musical score that is also very restrained. The entire movie is defined by four tracks. The movie opens with a scratchy version of "If I didn't care", even before the opening credits roll. . Besides the one just mentioned, Scenes from Mozart's "Figaro" (in the famous office scene described at the top), " Handjive" and "Lovesick Blues" (introducing each each new decade Robbins character spends in prison) are the only music used.

Just because this movie is not filled with a musical score from top to bottom, doesn't mean there are no sounds. When Robbins enters the bank close to the end of the movie, I can only see his feet. But by the sound of the footsteps on the granite floor, I know exactly who it is. I just don't know yet why he is there. This movie is full of sounds that let me easily identify each scene. After
watching it as often as I have, I could probably close my eyes and, just by listening, tell you what scene the movie is at.

Before I close this review, let me talk about something that is also well done throughout the entire movie. From the very first scene to the very last, the lighting underscores every part of this movie. The balance of light and shadows is done extremely well. For instance, when the Prisoners first get off the bus, they must pass through a brick archway to get into the hall where they are greeted by the warden. The walk through the archway is shown as a giant dark shadow. Immediately after entering the hall, the scene is backlit and the prisoners become faceless creatures. Even when the Warden enters the scene, the prisoner's faces are still hidden from my view.

The closer the movie gets to the end, the more light there seems to be. With every ounce of hope for both Robbins' and Freeman's characters, a little ray of light is added. Until they both meet at a beach that is filled with nothing but sunshine. It's this attention to detail that make this movie so great.

For me Shawshank Redemption was created by the coming together of master craftsmen that have set their professional standards at the highest point and then have exceeded those standards.


Credits:

Writer/Director: Frank Darabont (Fahrenheit 451, Indiana Jones)

Based on the short novel by Stephen King "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"

Tim Robbins.......Andy Dufresne
Morgan Freeman...."Red"
William Sadler...."Heywood"
Bob Gunton........Warden Norton
James Whitmore...."Brooks"
Gil Bellows......."Tommy"

Released in September of 1994 by Castle Rock Entertainment.

I like watching this movie anytime, but since Epinions does not give me that option, I've picked on at random. I purposely did not chose the "good on date" one, because a first date movie this is not.

I also rated the suspense factor as "keeps you on the edge of your seat." This is not an action movie, but I'm still trying to hurry the next scene along, just so I can see what happens.

I don't find this movie suitable for children, unless your kids are older and quite mature.






Recommended:
Yes

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