January Movie Pick: 'The Shawshank Redemption'

Is there a more perfect prison movie than 'The Shawshank Redemption' in the history of movies? I dare to say there isn't. It was a late night, after dinner, and we were wondering what to watch. We made some popcorn, had a couple of non-alcoholic beers, and played 'Escape from Alcatraz' with none other than Clint Eastwood. He is a badass, right, but even though the movie was very enjoyable, I never got why he was in that prison. It was always on my mind that he was a criminal, and that bothered me for the rest of the movie. Our guys from Shawshank prison, though, showed a side that made me forget what they did to get inside in the first place. And in both cases, we do not go into gross details of their doings, but you can picture some of it. Immediately after the end of 'Escape from Alcatraz,' we purchased 'The Shawshank Redemption.' We both have seen the movie, soon I am going to read the book, and I will review it here, but this movie has repeat quality to it because it is a masterpiece. The story is just great, epic.

I really love Shawshank, and usually, the IMDb score or the Rotten Tomatoes score doesn't matter for your own taste, but this movie is widely beloved by everybody. 'Shawshank Redemption' still is the highest-rated movie on the IMDb platform with a magnificent 9.3 score, very well deserved. On Rotten Tomatoes, it keeps 91% from the critics and 98% from the moviegoers. I blame this success mostly on Stephen King, who remains the most-read author for me still to this day and the king of horror for the world. No one so far is able to capture me in his universe as King has. You know who I also blame? The director Frank Darabont, who went on to make another masterpiece from King that hit on all cylinders, 'The Green Mile.' I remember reading the story when I was in high school and seeing the movie not long after that. What incredibly different stories at the same time with a lot of similarities between them. The director also did 'The Mist,' and he worked on 'The Walking Dead.' I wonder why he hasn't got any more chances, given his commercial success so far?

While the initial box office of the story was a flop, and basically, no one saw it, as critic scores, the box office shouldn't reduce your enjoyment of the film. Now, this box office number has grown and still kicks in money after 30 years on the market; it kicked just 5 bucks the other night. It is incredible to think about such a project put there for the audience and its ongoing success delivering money for 30 years. I completely understand why Hollywood keeps working, although I somehow do not trust the budgets of these newly born movies, even with inflation taking part. But I guess it is worth it to make a movie for 350+ million dollars (Avatar the Way of Water; Endgame) after all.

King and Darabont were able to portray such a powerful story of resilience and spirit. The movie sure as hell kicks down our protagonist to the hole that is this prison. It is numerously implied that he was raped, and we saw that he was beaten multiple times while he was in that prison. I love how he destroyed his opponents, all of them. He was several turns in front of them, and even when it was looking like all hope has left the building, he was digging himself out from that place. And what a joke to turn this small rock hammer into his prison escape instrument, hiding it in the Bible, the last place the godly director will look. The arrogance and his taste of power that blinded him enough to return the key to Andy's escape, talking about salvation. What an irony that he handled the escape tool for that salvation. And the way Andy worked him out was so satisfying. The way he worked out everyone was a pleasure.

So grateful for this beautiful story. The actors Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are standouts, of course. What an amazing duo. The story does not act in their favor, but after all the mud, they were able to come out on top of it like kings. I really enjoyed the blind arrogance of the director played by Bob Gunton. You know what I also really enjoyed? The Terminator-esque Captain Hadley portrayed by Clancy Brown. Gill Bellows also makes a strong impression as Tommy, playing a vital role in the second half of the story. From my point of view, except Morgan Freeman, most of these actors didn't get enough chances out of this masterpiece. Maybe it was the box office, or maybe I didn't see the right movies, but this one will remain the top of their game.

Iliya Badev