Framed in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an am...
WHAT I LIKED: The Shawshank Redemption is a film about a family that you grow attached to throughout the course of a story. But it's not just any family on display; it is of course a group of people in prison who are bound together by their terrible acts and shared torment. That juxtaposition between human characters and their dark situation means the story ultimately becomes about the humanity that lies within every single human being regardless of their mistakes, and that's what makes it such an affecting watch.
That central theme only translates though because Frank Darabont's script crucially allows so much time to explore and understand the nuances of its central characters so perfectly - all through individual moments rather than blatant discussionary dialogue.
We see them being subjected to abuse, we see them appreciating music and education, we hear them discussing and building their friendships and their dwindling hope, and we equally see them inflicting violence themselves or addressing the reasons they're there in the first place. As a result of all that, you feel you really understand them as people to an extent that very few films manage, and that's also helped of course by a set of perfectly nuanced performances from Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins who both slowly peel back their respective characters' skins as the script explores those different parts of their personalities.
What then magnifies that into a bigger, more affecting thematic message however is the fact that everyone portrayed is in one identical situation, so everything you feel you understand about the two central figures also loosely seems to apply to all. In the final act then when the two rediscover their hope and faith in their own humanity, it's not so much a revelation to the audience, but a touching confirmation that everyone is human, and that none of us are really all too different from the next guy. That's a thoroughly affecting message, and watching that manifest itself in two perfectly developed, complex characters throughout is very moving indeed, and makes for one of the most transcendent and gently powerful films I've ever seen.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Maybe the movie should have adopted a more cynical view, but I believe it's got a very important, very powerful, and beautifully uplifting point to make.
VERDICT: A film that perfectly develops complex, layered characters who've done wrong but equally demonstrate real humanity, Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption ultimately becomes about the humanity that exists in everyone. That's a deeply affecting and uplifting theme, and it makes for one of the most gently powerful movies of all time.
