REVIEW: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION [1994]

REVIEW# 12
MOVIE: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION [1994]
Genre : Drama/Thriller
Cast : Morgan Freeman,Tim Robbins,Bob Gunton
Director:Frank Darabont
IMDb rating: 9.3/10 [top most]
Deeps rating: 7/10
Verdict: A good thriller with some good twists.One time watchable.

                  IF THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY OUT, EVEN FROM SHAWSHANK.

        The movie is about a banker named Andy Dufresne [Tim Robbins] who is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in the big Shawshank prison.The warden of the prison Samuel Norton [Bob Gunton] is a very strict and corrupt person ,who is interested in making money from prison rather than its welfare.Andy's initial period in prison is very agonizing as he is regularly assaulted by a group called 'The Sisters'.By time Andy manages to get some good friends in prison who helps him to collect a much needed rock hammer and large poster of a celebrity ,which becomes an integral part in planning his escape.
    

     A fellow inmate who is also serving life sentence,Ellis Red [Morgan Freeman] becomes Andy's best friend in prison.They spend most of the time together sharing their past and talking about their future.Andy's stature grows among the inmates as he takes lead in improving the welfare of his fellow inmates.He takes special interest in improving the library of the prison by writing constantly to officials outside the prison and also undertakes various measures in improving the basic education of the prisoners.He also becomes popular among the guards in the prison as he takes care of their tax returns annually as he himself was a banker.His popularity reaches the warden Samuel Norton and he decides to take up Andy as his personal accountant to prepare accounts and deposit  his money which he earns in many unauthorized ways. Andy thus becomes the only person who knows each and every detail about the big scam run by the warden using prison money.
 
    All this long years the genius in Andy was at work ,structuring his escape plan inside his cell.Even his best friends were unaware of it.From a new prisoner Tommy Williams,Andy comes to know the whereabouts of his wife's actual murderer and he decides to discuss with the warden about the scope for reopening his case.But the warden Norton takes the most drastic measures in prison in stopping Andy from recommencing his case in the court of justice, as he is afraid of Andy's freedom. Norton was well aware of Andy's flair and he was worried whether Andy will expose him if he gets free.Will Andy finally becomes successful with his escape plan????I dont want to carry on with the rest of the story as this part account for the trilling climax of this otherwise lagging movie.

    This movie was a critically acclaimed movie which won 7 nominations for the Oscars.This movie failed at the boxoffice but got the highest rating among many critics as the best Hollywood movie ever made.Its the highest rated movie in IMDb which is a surprise for me.Even though the movie is well directed and scripted,the length of the movie is too long for a plot like this.The movie drags you many times and too much characters spoil the watch.

  When you are ready to watch a commercial pot boiler with mass elements you usually unscrew your brain and keep in somewhere safe.But when you are there to watch a serious movie sung well by critics you keep your brain intact and sharp.Then logic come into play and if the movie someway hurts your logic,you get wounded.That may be the reason behind my disappointment.A man living in the same cell for almost 20 years and engineering a master escape plan like that in the movie without getting anyone's attention and that too in a prison like Shawshank,questions my logic.I dont know about your's.

   This movie is a one time watch but certainly is a highly overrated movie according to me.There are no adult contents or foul languages in this movie.So you can enjoy this with your family.

   I am Deepak Unnikrishnan and I will be back with another clssic from the old school tomorrow.

TIP OF THE DAY: PEOPLE DO NOT LACK STRENGTH;THEY LACK WILL.