Movie #2: The Shawshank Redemption

Movie #: 2
Movie Title: The Shawshank Redemption
Year Released: 1994

Director: Frank Darabont
Notable Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore

Short Description: Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #72
IMDB.com: #1
Ranker.com: #3
Lifed.com: #2
Empire.com: #4
FilmCrave.com: #1
FlickChart.com: #5



Date Watched: 12/27/2016

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)

Rationale: The beauty of The Shawshank Redemption can be found in the extremely methodical storytelling by writer/director Frank Darabont. Every detail is planned and executed so well that once the plot twist unfolds there's no way to poke holes in the story and question the setup for the twist. All of the actors, especially Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman as inmates Andy Dufresne and Ellis "Red" Redding and Bob Gunton as Wardon Norton, do exquisite work portraying their characters in a convincing manner throughout the movie. The score by Thomas Newman is subtle but wonderful, particularly during the scene where Andy stands in the pouring rain after he escapes from Shawshank Prison. While I don't unequivocally adore The Shawshank Redemption as much as some people do, evident of the fact that it's ranked in the top 5 on six of the top 100 lists I used, I do like the movie a lot and will gladly watch it whenever I have the chance.