“Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin.“
What’s it all about? The film portrays Andy (Tim Robbins) spending nearly two decades in Shawshank State Prison with his fellow inmate Red (Morgan Freeman), who has continuously failed to gain parole for his life sentence. (There is a spoiler alert for this post.)
“The Shawshank Redemption” is a beautiful testament to the value of life, hope and friendship. I can’t remember the last time I cried this much during a film. It’s probably because of goddamned Morgan Freeman and his rumbling voice. It’s somewhat difficult for me to write this review, because every time I consider writing about a scene or bit of dialogue all I want to do is watch it. The thought that “Shawshank” had lukewarm, box office reception, barely making enough to cover its budget, is completely shocking. This film takes you by the heartstrings and pulls from beginning to end. It’s no wonder “Shawshank” is ranked #1 on IMDB’s Top 250 list — even above “The Godfather”. In complete honesty, I was going to write a more in-depth review, but I’m blowing it off so I can watch the movie again. Oh, and these words kill me every time:
“I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”
Favourite Scene: After Andy is released from solitary, he meets up with Red. It is here that Andy tells Red that he’s escaping, that he’ll be going to a Mexican-Pacific coastal town and that Red should follow him. But as is his way, Andy doesn’t actually say any of these things. It’s all indirect and Red won’t understand until much later. Instead, they have an argument about hope and its validity. Andy thinks that hope’s worth holding onto. Red doesn’t: “Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It’s got no use on the inside. You’d better get used to that idea.” But the hesitation and doubt that creeps onto Red’s face is plain as day. It is at that point in the film that we know that the friendship between Andy and Red will save both of them and that neither will suffer the fate of Brooks.
Notes: Directed by Frank Darabont; Produced by Niki Marvin; Written by Frank Darabont, Stephen King; Starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore; Music by Thomas Newman; Cinematography by Roger Deakins; Editing by Richard Francis-Bruce.
Sasha James, otherwise known as The Final Girl Project, is a twenty-something Torontonian with an unhealthy amount of her week reserved for film and television. She also moonlights as The Doctor's companion on Saturdays. 
This hass to be one of my favourite movies. Mind you, I think it is a favourite for many people. But it also has sone of the worst names for a movie of all time. No one who hears of the movie for the first time thinks that the “Shawn -Shank Reduction” is going to be a good movie. Or is that “Shimshaw Resurrection”?