I see most of the movies alone. All that I say about movies are my opinions. Some movies that I liked were not so great for many others. I saw this movie alone too, but was fortunate enough to see it with a friend of mine for the second time. He is someone who just skims through movies, chapter after chapter in a DVD, like how we read novels. I watched his reaction more than the movie and he never touched the keyboard for the entire duration of the movie nor did he take his eyes off the screen. I can say confidently that shawshank redemption would appear fantastic to almost everyone who sees it.
Shawshank redemption is the story of Andy Dufrense as narrated by Red. Shawshank is a prison and these guys meet and become friends there. Andy, a banker with high esteem in the society, is convicted for murder of his wife and her secret boyfriend. He is punished with two life sentences, one for each of the victims he killed. He argues in court that he did not pull the trigger, but things go in vain. He ends up in Shawshank (Shaw – Shank, I pronounced this wrongly as ‘shwashank’ until I saw the movie).
Andy is not an ordinary man. He escapes out of the Shawshank (one of the strictest prisons). He then gathers all the evidences and proves that he is innocent. And along with that he also helps to free a couple of other innocent prisoners like him. If that was the story then Shawshank redemption would have been another ordinary movie. But because it decides to break all the conventions and be different, it becomes extraordinary.
There are no subtle twists in this movie. For the kind of twist that this movie has, you cannot call it subtle; probably ‘drastic’ would be nearly appropriate. And the twist is not there just in the plot, but also in the scenes. There cannot be one scene where you can predict what is about to happen. That brings us to the edge of the seat even though the movie is not an out and out thriller. You get the concept of the movie in the end, only in the end. But by the time you realize the lesson is already imbibed in you.
Tim Robbins seems like a familiar face to me, but he registers himself in my mind for the way he plays the role of Andy. Most of the story is a narration by Morgan Freeman in his voice as Red, except a small portion in the middle that is narrated by a character called Brooks. I have heard a lot about Morgan Freeman and seen him in a couple of movies. But the way he acts in this movie left me mesmerized. The subtlety in his voice and expressions at various scenes are just terrific.
The dialogues are class apart. Just listen with an extra ear when Morgan freeman narrates, you would sure find the dialogues fascinating; don’t miss them. For instance, Red is always against hope throughout the movie. But he would narrate something like ‘I hope to meet my friend...I hope he is doing…’ where you might miss that ‘hope’ part of it. So the narration would end as ‘I hope’. These are just so subtle and can be enjoyed if you have that eye for the detail than being in just ‘sit back and enjoy’ attitude.
If movies are to entertain, this movie entertains thoroughly. If movies are to inspire, this movie teaches a wonderful lesson as how to approach life and inspires. If movies are to leave an impact, this movie leaves a deep impact. Is there anything more expected out of a movie?
-Vinayak
(Please do RRC)