Amazon.com Essentials:
When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some
critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to
sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the
passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky
wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when
the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully
understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King)
allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is
dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's
sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a
life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's
reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize
that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and
fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first
struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The
Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama
that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots)
to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated
for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and
Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a
promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among
their all-time favorites. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com Essentials:
When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some
critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to
sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the
passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky
wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when
the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully
understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King)
allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is
dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's
sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a
life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's
reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize
that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and
fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first
struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The
Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama
that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots)
to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated
for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and
Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a
promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among
their all-time favorites. --Jeff Shannon
