Directed by: Frank Darabont
*ing: Tim Robbins
Morgan Freeman
Bob Gunton
Rating: *****
The Shawshank Redemption is voted as the 2nd best film of all time after The Godfather on imdb.com. I found out why.
It starts off with a very strong court-room scene where Andy Dufresne {Tim Robbins), a successful banker is sentenced two back-to-back life imprisonments for the murder of his wife and her golf-pro lover. He pleads guilty.
He is immediately sent off to the Shawshank Prison headed by the warden from hell, Samuel Norton played by Bob Gunton. Norton's comrade the super-aggressive Caption Hadley (Clancy Brown) is the supervisor.
Andy finds out the prison is full of maniac criminals, homo-sexuals and innocents like himself. He bonds instantly with an old inmate – Red (Morgan Freeman), who is the official "man that knows how to get things" of this state prison. From cigarettes to whiskey to rock hammer. He can get it all.
Andy thus starts the journey of this new life with a soft, silent persona. He is dragged into the dark corners, beaten up and abused by homo-sexuals and guards but he never utters a word. He forms a camaraderie with other prisoners because he is so instantly likeabe.
He also brings touches of freedom, peace and sometimes serenity in their lives with his brilliant antics. He builds up a library, plays music on the microphone, makes a deal for beer for his friends and much more. Andy and Red become best of buddied.
Characters come on go, giving required momentum and depth to the plot. The screenplay is smooth as cheese. The cinematography and camera-work succeeds big time in dispaying the eerie prisoned feeling. One important character though, who changes the pattern of the film before climax is Tommy (Gil Bellows), who reveals who the actual guilty for Andy's crime is.
The climax of the film will leave you astonished, saturated and exhillerated. There are very few films that have a just 'perfect' ending. This is one of them. Infact this is a 'perfect' film itself. It is a simple story of how a man finds friends, hope, passion, ambition and finally redemption.
Tim Robbins as the soft-spoken, obedient and ambitious inmate Andy is mesmerizingly spectacular. His silences, his minute smiles and his brief imaginations leave you speechless. You want to get up and touch him. You want to tell him everything is going to be fine. They should have given away two best actor Oscsars that year – Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump (which he got) and Tim Robbins for this (which he didn't)
Morgan Freeman has never given an ordinary performance. Neither here. He is the tremendous pillar Andy leans on. Always smiling and always helping. He is the good goon. One of the finest performances, on celluloid.
Bob Gunton as the devil-warden is pathetically, sinfully great. You will hate the smell of him and it's a difficult job to make yourself hate, even onscreen. Tremendous.
The day, they jot down a list of the best films ever-ever made, The Shawshank Redemption will feature in the top ten and the man who made this – Frank Darabont, will finally and most deservingly get an Oscar. This film will fill your heart with love, freedom, friendship, courage, hard-work, enthusiasm and hope. Hope is a good thing. Go find out!
- Abbas Aziz Dalal.
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