Director: Frank Darabont
"I must admit I didn't think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man." Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding
Synopsis: A young banker is convicted of a double homicide and sent to prison for life. It turns out he had to go to prison to become a crook.
The Shawshank Redemption is number one on the IMDB Top 250 list. And there is a very good reason why. It is a damn good film. Released back in 1994, and based on a Stephen King story (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption) it follows the stories of a few inmates of Shawshank Prison who find friendship and have their lives changed over the few years that they are imprisoned there.
Tim Robbins portrays Andy Dufresne, a mild mannered stock broker, imprisoned for killing his wife and her lover, after finding them in bed together. As the prosecuting attorney says at the beginning of the film, "A revolver holds six bullets, not eight. I submit that this was not a hot-blooded crime of passion. That, at least, could be understood if not condoned. No - this was revenge of a much more brutal and cold blooded nature. Consider this. Four bullets per victim. Not six shots fired but eight. That means that he fired the gun empty and then stopped to reload so that he could shoot each of them again. An extra bullet per lover, right in the head," Andy Dufresne seems to be a cold-hearted killer. But you are never really sure throughout the duration of the film as to whether he actually did it.
Tim Robbins does a very good job of the quiet, hands-in-pockets, minding-my-own-business character, which develops into a full blown entrepreneur towards the end of the film, doing the guards and warden's tax returns and putting a few of the inmates through high school.
Morgan Freeman plays Ellis Boyd Redding, AKA Red, the inmate that every prison has. He is the inmate who can get things for you which are illegal on the inside: sipping whiskey, playing cards with naked ladies on them or a cigar to share to celebrate the birth of your child. He and Robbins' character become good friends throughout the course of the film. Andy: "Why do they call you Red?" Red: "Maybe it's because I'm Irish..."
Another notable character from the film is Guard Captain Byron Hadley played by Clancy Brown ("Step back, boys, this motherf****r's about to have an accident!") Colourful dialogue aside, he plays a mean brute of a guard who takes no nonsense, easily dishing out punishment with his billy club to inmates who do not toe the line.
Bob Gunton (also known for his role as the police chief in Demolition Man) plays the prison warden, Samuel Norton. Firm and strict, he gives the standard speech to the inmates upon arrival at the prison that if they keep their noses clean and stay in line, all will go well for their time behind bars. If they don't, see Captain Hadley. Norton was also not unaccustomed to shady underhanded deals, hiring his inmates out for cheap labour and pocketing the profits for himself.
Other notable performances come from William Hadley and Gil Bellows. Hadley plays Heywood, another of the members of Tim Robbins group of friends. While making an inventory of books for the newly commissioned library, Hadley finds "The Count of Monte Christo" by Alexandre Dumas. "'The Count of Monte Christo' by Alexander Dum.. Duma.. Dumass. Hehe.. Alexander Dumbass..." Robbins character informs him the book is an adventure novel about a prison break and should be filed under adventure, to which Hadley's character responds "Shouldn't that go under educational?" Loved that scene!
Gil Bellows plays a young cocky inmate who was arrested for theft and breaking and entering. It turns out later in the film he has information about an inmate he was bunked with in another prison who described a murder that sounded exactly like the murder Tim Robbins was imprisoned for.
I love the way the story is told in this film, from the character development to the surprise reveal at the end of the film. Although this film is based on a Stephen King short story, it's not your usual blood and gore violent roller coaster ride. It's a sit-down-and-think-about-it-a-bit film, a film to enjoy on a Saturday afternoon with some popcorn. It has a lovely heartwarming ending, with those who deserve it getting what they deserve. As mentioned, The Shawshank Redemption is at the top of the IMDB Top 250 films list, and it deserves to stay there.
Favourite scene: Andy Dufresne receives a donated box of books and records; he plays Canzonetta sull'aria" from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" over the PA system of the prison. He winds up having two weeks in solitary confinement for this stunt, but he feels it was worth it. View the clip here.
My rating: 9.5 out of 10.
The Shawshank Redemption should be available from all good DVD and BluRay retail stores. If you haven't seen it, get it and watch it. A must for any DVD collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment