Written by: Stephen King (short story "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"), Frank Darabont (screenplay)
Directed by: Frank Darabont
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Clancy Brown
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Andy Dufresne is imprisoned for murder. In prison he struggles, triumphs, and even makes a few friends, but Andy is patient, smart, and has lots of time.
Verdict
It's a great movie. The writing is very good, every scene leading to the climax, building the world and characters for a specific reason. This is less a prison break movie and more an examination into what a life sentence does to a person, how it institutionalizes. It's also a story about two friends Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman).
Dufresne is a convicted murderer, who through sheer will accomplishes great feats even in prison. He ultimately experiences the ultimate triumph for a man in prison.
This is simply incredible and a movie that everyone needs to watch (or watch again). The music, cinematography, and acting is great, with everything working in tandem.
Watch it.
Review
I've seen this movie a few times many years ago, but with it newly added to Netflix I decided to revisit it. This is based on a Stephen King story. Who knew he can do more than just horror?
The opening is very good, combining the alleged crime and trial into one scene. It provides enough to let you know what's going on, but not enough to slow the movie. You wonder, did Dufresne do it or is he innocent as he claims. In six minute we know Dufresne's story. It's deft film making with no fat, no fluff. We cut to Redding and learn his story in less than a minute.
The voice over works in this, and that can be hard to accomplish, not to mention it's done by Morgan Freeman. With a voice over the dialog needs to add to the scene, like music. So many movies use voice over to tell us what we already see on screen or as a shortcut for what's too difficult or expensive to film. This is how it's done.
The inmates bet on which new 'fish' will break down crying first. It's heartless, but they're in a heartless place. Jail is lonely and difficult.
Dufresne's first comeuppance is when he has the gall to tell Chief Correctional Officer Hadley how to avoid taxes and then asks for beers for his coworkers. It's a stellar moment, and even the root of that is a desire to feel normal if even for a brief instant. Dufresne is a quiet character who never sings his own praises. The inmates regale everyone with his tales.
I hadn't previously realized he didn't get the rock hammer to break out. It was roughly two years later that he discovered how soft the walls were and decided to tunnel through.
An elderly inmate, Brooks, provides a fantastic vignette. He's freed from prison but still trapped in prison. It bolsters the theme of what prison does to someone and the fate that awaits inmates.
This story builds and keeps getting bigger. The writing is incredible with many quotable lines like, "I had to come to prison to become a crook."
Dufresne had to find a way to pass the time in prison. He shaped rocks, built a library, and helped inmates get GED's.
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| Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman play Andy Defresne, Red |
There's a lot of subtlety in the uniforms and makeup that convey the passage of time. It's easy to miss because it's so subtle. Skip from the last few scenes in jail to some of the first.
I also noticed the sewer line dumps directly into the river. I would hate to be downstream of that jail.
It brings so many things together at the end. Every moment in this movie led to the climax. Freeman's voice over towards the end is moving. Andy Dufresne lives on in stories, but he's still missed. Dufresne's revenge was so complete, and at the point where most movies roll the credits, this movie keeps going, developing an incredible conclusion.
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