The Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank is a film that most everyone likes. It manages to be endearing and constantly amiable, even when it's sad or cruel. Perhaps it's because Shawshank has a happy ending. But it's popularity doesn't dwindle the greatness of Shawshank. It's a great story, penned originally by Stephen King in novella form. It tells of Andy Dufrense (Tim Robbins) who is sent to jail after being convicted of murder--the murder of his wife. However, Andy is innocent. In prison he meets Red (Morgan Freeman) and over the span of about thirty years, they become best friends. We see a lot of intriguing stuff in Shawshank. We see a man who's been in prison so long he doesn't know how to act in the real world when he's finally released. We see cruel prison guards, manipulative wardens. And yet, Andy is invigorated by Red to keep alive within prison. At first he drifts into depression, and yet Red gives him the drive to keep working. Andy works in the library at the prison, he does the tax returns for all of the guards, he gains the confidence of the warden. This might all seem like small achievements, but in the context of prison, these show the need to be important even within the heart of hell. There's so much injustice, so much love in Shawshank that it becomes more than just a prison movie. Rather, it becomes the story of a life. The story of most lives. The Shawshank Redemption is a great film.