Review of The Shawshank Redemption (1994) by Brady L — 24 Jan 2019

This movie is long and plodding. It gives you a lot to comprehend, a lot to digest and a lot to think about once it's done. It does not spoon feed you information and it allows for viewers to truly become immersed in the story.

Based on the novella by Stephen King, we get to witness a master class in storytelling, character development and an early example of plot twists coming out of nowhere. Following the unlucky story of Andy Dufresne as he navigates the brutal, unforgiving life of a maximum security prison inmate, we get to watch this brilliant former banker manipulate his way through the system and leave those in charge believing they have him by the short and curlies when in reality he was playing them like instruments the whole time.

On his journey, he is joined by Red, a man who can get things and is always there to lend a helping hand, ear or advice whenever needed. We also meet Brooks, an elderly man who has spent the majority of his life incarcerated within Shawshank's walls.

As the story unfolds, we watch as Brooks leaves the prison, only to become entrenched in that life even on the outside. It leads him to suicide in a scene that is as heart-wrenching as it is educational (showcasing the downside of long terms in prison and becoming institutionalized).

We also lay witness to Andy weaselling himself in to the financials of the prison and creating a persona that technically does not exist. Everything culminates in the escape of the century, a man desperate for freedom crawling through the sewage pipe, not knowing what is on the other side, not caring just wanting out.

Red so poignantly states, "He crawled through 500 yards of shit and came out clean on the other side." This is a movie that needs to be on everybody's to watch list.