Shawshank Redemption

Rating: 4 Stars

This movie is ranked #1 on IMDb.

It ranks above The Dark Knight, Pulp Fiction, Schindler's List, The Godfather, and Lord of the Rings as the best movie of all time.

So the question is...what makes it so beloved?

As becomes a movie with the word 'Redemption' in the title, it is the epitome of a cathartic, feel-good story.

I, however, was neither underwhelmed or overwhelmed by it. I was simply, and here I take the liberty of coining a new phrase, whelmed. It's a good movie that's well shot, directed, and acted and you watch it and feel good about it and yourself and then move on with your life. While there was one scene which undoubtedly elicits shivers, (you'll definitely know what I'm talking about) I will speak heresy and say that overall this movie did not deliver the emotional punch it could have.

I will say that it is well-acted and I give an A+ to the casting crew. Tim Robbins delivers a subtle but nuanced performance as Andy Dufresne, and I'm surprised he hasn't been in more movies since. Morgan Freeman is also a very likable, very textured, everyman (who happens to be in prison). They even have nice moments of chemistry. But it's just not.......

Sorry, but you'll find that the majority of my criticism on this movie is very incoherent. Because this film truly has all the right elements in place, but when placed together they just.........

Perhaps my high expectations also factor into my state of 'whelmedness'. It seems that whenever Shawshank Redemption is brought up people's eyes light up and they exclaim, "Oh that moive....it's fantastic. It's amazing. It's the best." I know several people who without hesitation call it their favorite movie and I suppose that prompted me to place it on an undeserved pedestal.

Alright, but let's talk about some of those other elements.

Just by looking at it, you can tell this was made in the 90s. The cinematography is full of long, sweeping shots, and even the static ones are artistic - it's very characteristic to that decade. Think Forrest Gump. And I will admit there is one scene which, as I mentioned above, definitely makes it into the top 20 emotional/powerful scenes in cinema. This is due to acting/writing, but also in large part due to the way it's filmed.

The symbolism is a little....heavy handed. And by a little I mean a lot. As in "wait a second....the bird that the guy raised in secret flies away from the prison the day the guy is let out of prison.....whhaaatever could that mean?"

The plot is very nicely paced. You get a very good sense of time passing, and gradual character change, without resorting to excessive montages or short anecdotal scenes. And the twist toward the end is fantastic. I honestly saw it coming about 5 minutes beforehand, but it was nonetheless great when revealed.

Huh....I keep on alluding to that twist/scene. I guess the movie is worth watching just for those 10 minutes. They in themselves were 6 star worthy.

Alright. This was all over the place. Just like my feelings about this movie. Perhaps I'll write another review when my opinions are more coherent.