The Shawshank Redemption

Running Time: 142 minutes

Media: TV Broadcast

You know, after having seen this at least ten times before in the past on DVD, TV and when it first came out on the silver screen; I never really thought to do a review on it. Shawshank is to films in the same way lasagna to me is seen as a comfort food. The movie is sorta like chicken soup for the soul. It's warming, nurturing and it cuddles you to sleep at night. As a result I was a little worried that I wouldn't do it justice. Sure, there are a few bumps along the way but in a drama you have to have the bad parts to make the protagonists appreciate the good parts. The Shawshank Redemption is no exception to this rule.

Now I have to confess, I don't watch much in the way of Tim Robbins; if anything, I'm more of a fan of his former partner, Susan Sarandon. But there's something about his character, Andy Dufresne, that seems to reach out and place a comforting hand on your shoulder to assure you that everything will be alright.

Andy Dufresne is a banker in the 1940's who is wrongfully sent to prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. Sent to Shawshank  State Penitentiary to serve two consecutive life sentences. He befriends a fellow inmate called Ellis Boyd Redding, also known as "Red", played by the only man who could narrate a sunrise and make it happen, Morgan Freeman. There is something about the narrative nature of Red's that makes you want to sit up and listen.

As Dufresne lives out his sentence, he struggles to survive from day to day amid a corrupt warden, violent guards, money laundering schemes and a group of sexually aggressive prisoners whose main objective is to break Andy's spirit, bones and teeth... The thing is, with a character like that of Dufresne, it blows the audience away with how strong this character is, how he keeps standing up, blow after blow after blow. Tim Robbins is symbolic as the battler, the underdog, the survivor; who still rises on top despite the challenges that face him. As a result, this movie has actually touched a number of people who have faced hardship in their everyday lives, and see this movie as a shining beacon of hope. The Movie Madman himself is also quite partial to the film, having been through certain hardship himself and managing to emerge to the other side, so I will say that this film does have a certain place in my heart.

Robbins' portrayal of Dufresne is heart-warming and there are times where you could just reach out and give him a hug. I guess what I'm saying is that you can really identify with him, especially if you can relate to being once down-trodden, or an underdog. As I said, this film is like comfort food... It makes you feel better after experiencing it, and this is definitely the case with Shawshank.

Morgan's character of Red was originally planning to be cast to Freeman. There were originally considerations to cast either Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, or even Harrison Ford. The novella that it was based on, written by horror author magnate, Stephen King, had written the character out as a middle-aged Irishman with greying red hair. When Frank Darabont cast Morgan Freeman because of his authoritative presence and demeanor, he stated that he couldn't see anyone else suitable for the role, and I'm inclined to agree. I will soon be receiving a copy of the novella in the mail and hope to read it and see how well it gels without the presence of Freeman. He seems damn near perfect for the role... 

There are a few additional actors who graced the screen within the film. Gil Bellows, who would have been quite young then, before he graced TV screens as Billy Thomas in Ally McBeal, plays a thief called Tommy Williams who helps give Andy some hope. Clancy Brown, of whom, serious geeks such as myself would recall, also played Victor Kurgan from the Highlander movie, reprises yet another type-set casting as a corrupt and sadistic guard, Captain Byron Hadley. Brown is a very good actor in my personal opinion, and he does take his work seriously. But an interesting thing I found out about this particular role of his, is that he didn't want to study the mannerisms or work of real-life guards, as he didn't want to base the character of Hadley on anyone in particular; which when you think about it is quite a noble gesture.

Who else... who else... Oh yes, the late James Whitmore, who died almost three years to the day, back in 2009. He is probably one of the more interesting actors in the film, playing the part of Brooks Hatlen, the prison's librarian, and one of the longer serving convicts of Shawshank State Penitentiary. Brooks is broken by the system, not knowing what to do with himself were he ever outside of prison. And that gets to me, he is basically the symbolic representation of those who accept what they are going through and let it happen to them. I shan't say what happens to him within the film, as that's a major spoiler alert. But it is one of the scenes that does make your heart stop momentarily.

Being a two-hour plus film, you expect something of some epic proportion, and the film delivers. This film has been nominated for seven Academy Awards back in 1994, but was beaten by a very much deserved Forrest Gump and a few other films. It seems a shame that none of the awards went to Shawshank as a number of awards also went to Ed Wood surprisingly.

This movie is certain of a lot more recognition due to its popularity and cult classic following and I can see why. This movie is well deserving of its five star rating, and I hope to see a few more films of this caliber, at a later time, even though there are very few films worth the standard of appreciation that warrants a five star rating...