The Shawshank Redemption Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Shawshank Redemption
Year: 1994
Director: Frank Darabont
Country: US
Language: English

As most of you may know, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has a continuous poll of the "top 250" films of all time. Though many films on the list are classics, some choices, such as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight at #6 and David Fincher's Fight Club at #10, are quite baffling. The list is based upon the average votes and according to IMDB The Shawshank Redemption is the greatest film of all time receiving  an average of 9.3/10  from 1,091,820 users. Is it really that great? This review will analyze exactly that.

Based on a Stephen King novel, The Shawshank Redemption stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, a young and successful banker whose world turns upside-down when he is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy, and his friend Red (Morgan Freeman), attempt to survive prison and become quite unique prisoners.

The Shawshank Redemption takes us back to the days where prison break films weren't based on riots and massacres, but rather about determined human beings who feel a great need to get out of the system. Andy and Red are two very intelligent men who fight off despair, become best of friends and try to persevere despite the struggles of daily living. It's essentially an allegory for holding onto self worth. 

The technical aspects of the film are quite well done. The cinematography gives you a sense of the enormity of the prison system. The lighting can both leave you in despair, or give you with a profound sense of hope. The score increases the intensity of each scene and makes many sequences pulse pounding. At first I was put off by the fact that the film doesn't give you a clear sense of time, the only way you know it's the 40's is because the prisoners watch Rita Hayworth's Gilda (1946), but then I realized that prisoners serving a life sentence probably wouldn't have a clear sense of time anyways. 

Unfortunately the film is not perfect; we never get a sense of how dire Andy Dufresne's situation is, nor do we get a clear understanding to how corrupt the system is. Dufresne was given life sentences for murders he did not commit, yet by the middle of the film he has completely forgotten about it and presumably never tries to clear his name. The cinematography does give you a sense of how vast the prison system is, but never shows how claustrophobic and horrific it can be. The characters weren't very complex, and though Freeman's narration is universally praised, I thought the film was held back by it.

In conclusion, while The Shawshank Redemption is certainly a good film, it is not "great". The film's message is about hope, and that's fine, but the Director doesn't make you feel like you've struggled through one hell of an ordeal. The conclusion is not as satisfying as it should be and ultimately harms the experience. If you wish to see an example of a great prison-breakout movie, watch A Man Escaped. 3/5