"The Shawshank Redemption" (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption

Grade: A

It should come as no surprise that The Shawshank Redemption rates as the number one film of all time on IMDB.com — I’m not saying it’s the greatest movie ever, but it’s certainly one of the easiest to love. There is virtually no aspect of the film that can be improved upon. A few more notes on The Shawshank Redemption:

Directing:

Few directors have delivered a debut as masterful as Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption. Inspired by the sweeping grandeur and Americana intimacy of Steven Spielberg, Darabont turns the walls of Shawshank penitentiary into an unlikely home. His wide panoramas and high-walled craning camera shots are resonant and observant — we are not necessarily “trapped” in Shawshank; we instead become part of the community. Likewise, the peaceful and painterly cinematography of Roger Deakins enhances the film’s optimistic view of friendship and perseverance. This is a film that takes its time and stresses patience — Darabont is very deliberate in his pacing, but his steady hand and grand visuals make The Shawshank Redemption into an epic and intimate tale of human nature.

Acting:

Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) is the film’s primary main character: a quiet, intelligent, wrongfully convicted man. Robbins gives Andy an appropriate everyman persona and never lays the sentimentalism on too thick. Christlike in a way, Robbins’ reserved acting allows the viewer to ascribe to him any meaning they see fit. The film’s second main character and stand-in for the audience is Red (played by Morgan Freeman): a wise narrator full of natural warmth and dignified charisma. Freeman’s performance is the best in the film and perhaps the best of his career — he is the source of Shawshank’s deep well of emotion. They are the perfect actors for these roles.

Writing:

Perhaps more than anything, The Shawshank Redemption is simply a great story. This is a prison film that, like all films of the genre, builds to a triumphant escape, but not in the ways you might think. It is a slow-burning character study, with a plot that is unpredictable in its simplicity. The best example of Darabont’s unique screenplay is the introduction of a compelling new character (Tommy Williams) over 90 minutes into the movie — only a movie that takes its time so thoroughly can pull this off. But such is Shawshank‘s naturalistic atmosphere: new convicts come and go, even as everything else remains the same forever and ever. The story is so matter of fact in its action, or lack thereof, that we truly come to know and love and understand these characters deeply, which is why the ending remains so triumphant despite verging close to contrivance.

Music:

Thomas Newman’s orchestral score is so successful and fits so well into the overall tapestry of Shawshank that it’s easy to misremember it as a pre-existing classical piece (i.e., it’s not an excerpt from Henryk Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs). Stoic, striking and sonorous, the memorable motifs of Shawshank are now a nostalgic touchstone of American filmmaking.

Ending (SPOILERS):

The Shawshank Redemption is a long film (142 minutes) that feels even longer than Darabont’s The Green Mile (189 minutes). For both films, much of that has to do with the subject matter of a lifelong prison sentence, and in the case of Shawshank, the ending takes a while to actually conclude. In a way, it’s like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: there are multiple climaxes and moments of closure, none of which are tedious and all of which are necessary.

The final half-hour-or-so, from Andy’s prison break to the triumphant reunion on Zihuatanejo, is sentimentalism done right. Even though the slow pace becomes more noticeable in the film’s final act, the characters are deserving of their fairy tale ending.

“Andy Dufresne—who climbed through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.” – Red

**Why The Shawshank Redemption gets an A**:

Great acting, great directing and a great story makes The Shawshank Redemption an easy Grade-A movie. I personally prefer The Green Mile, due to its less sentimental conclusion and supernatural ambiguity, but there’s no denying Shawshank‘s immense relatability.

“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)