What would you do if you were convicted of murdering your wife and her lover, and sentenced to two life-imprisonment terms? Would you just give up? Would you try to escape? How long would you have to live in prison before you lose hope? Writer-Director Frank Darabont (The Mist, The Green Mile) explores these situations, and the themes of integrity, hope, and freedom.

Tim Robbins portrays the character of Andy Dufresne, the man who’s situation was described earlier. Andy claims he didn’t commit the murders, but strong evidence overruled his claims. Did Andy really not do it? We never really know for sure until later on in the film. When Andy first arrives at Shawshank prison, he’s antisocial, and goes along with the prison’s routine for months. After a few months, however, Andy starts developing a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), a man who can get practically anything from outside the prison to inside, for a price. Andy asks him for a rock hammer. The importance of this rock hammer is evident later on in the film. But Andy’s request for this rock hammer at the beginning of the film allows him to make a new friend at the prison to keep him company.

Andy’s time at Shawshank prison causes it to change dramatically. Within a few years, Andy becomes an important aspect to the prison. His accounting skills help him receive benefits for himself and his friends by helping the prison guards with their taxes and other financial issues. The warden of Shawshank prison also takes interest in Andy, and soon uses him for a complex money scheme. Andy’s role in the prison allows him to have a libary established in the prison, as well as get beers and other things for his friends. Andy is basically making a new life for himself in the prison, but he still wants to get out. However, how many years does it take in the prison for him to give up? How many years does it take until the prison is your only way of life? This becomes a problem for many prison inmates, and even to a friend of Andy’s.

One of the prisoners, Brookes (James Whitmore) is in this predicament. Brookes has lived in the prison for so long, for many decades, that it’s all he knows. In the film Brookes gets released out of Shawshank prison, and is allowed to live a normal life; he has a job and a home. However, how does one live in a world that has drastically changed over the past decades? When Brookes was a little boy, cars were rare, but when he gets released from prison cars were everywhere. It’s difficult to cope with, and Brookes is unable to deal with it. How long until Andy is the same way?

The film portrays two decades of Andy’s sentence, with many different interesting storylines and conflicts mixed in, with many different characters. ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ has one important plot involving Andy’s life in the prison and his hopes to escape, along with numerous side plots involving new inmates and such. The third act of the film is the quickest, and one of the most interesting parts. It involves a strong, yet completely unpredictable, resolution to the film. It also wraps up the lives of the main characters within the film in satisfying ways.

‘The Shawshank Redemption’ does an excellent job at portraying the themes of integrity and freedom, and how the prison can sometimes be some peoples’ freedom, with the outside world being feared. Andy’s integrity and hopes to escape from the prison is also a major part of the film. ‘The Shawshank Redemption’, adapted from the Stephen King novel, ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption’, is a strongly-acted, well-written, and wonderfully-directed film. It’s an amazing and inspirational piece of work, and probably the most perfect film I’ve ever seen. The plot is always at the same constant pace, and is never slowed down and boring. Every single part of the film is strong, entertaining, and thoughtful. It truly is a perfect film (this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the the best film ever in the history of cinema).

PS: ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ came out around the same time as ‘Forrest Gump’ (1994). Both films are amazing and one of the best, but ‘Shawshank’ was overshadowed by the popularity of ‘Gump.’ But years later, ‘Shawshank Redemption’ was placed even higher than ‘Forrest Gump’ on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies list. ‘Shawshank’ is also currently the #1 movie of all time on IMDB. Go figure.

Four out of four Kents.