Complete Redemption. Review on Shawshank Redemption Movie

I really don't know how one can write a review about movies like Shawshank Redemption and do justice to the movie and the story, but hell I am gonna try anyway!. Do I say that its one of the best movies I have ever seen and that you should see it too? Do I say that the movie is a beautiful tribute to the human spirit? Do I say that the movie is worth watching over and over again? OH YES! :) Its indeed one of the best movies I have ever seen and you should see it too :) Its a beautiful tribute to the human spirit and is worth watching over and over again.

This is a story of Andy Dufresne played by Tim Robbins as narrated by Ellis Boyd ''Red'' Redding played by Morgan Freeman who delivers an outstanding performance. Prominent among the support cast is Warden Norton played by Bob Gunton. Morgan Freeman gives an remarkable performance and Tim Robbins is brilliant as the innocent banker, Andy Dufresne, jailed for the murder of his wife and her lover. Red, as he describes himself, is that unusual guy found in all prisons who specializes in getting things for the inmates from the outside..things like cigarettes, alcohol etc.

The story begins with Andy being brought to Shawshank prison where he meets Red and the story describes the years spent by Andy in Shawshank. The story narrated by Red describes how Andy slowly but surely begins to open up and reveal different facets to his personality. The initial period for Andy is full of miseries where he is subjected to physical abuse and keeps pretty much to himself, but things get better for him as time goes on. Plus the fact that he is a banker helps when he uses his 'domain expertise' :) to save a lot of money for the chief guard. With his reputation as a financial whiz firmly established, he gets to a stage where he starts filing income tax returns for the entire staff at Shawshank including the Warden! Very soon Andy is handed an additional responsibilty as the asst librarian and later on he becomes the librarian and manages to obtain funds from the government for extra books, furniture etc and manages to keep himself busy carving stones and building up a collection of posters of beautiful women(nice hobby that!). Parallelly Norton is using the convicts at Shawshank as cheap labour on the outside and all this dirty money is being managed by - you guessed it right,Sherlock! - Andy. There is this scene where Andy reveals the extent of Norton's scheming ways to a stunned Red and remarks wryly that he was ''as straight as an arrow'' on the outside and he had to come to the prison to become a crook. Well , things are going along fine till Andy comes to know from another new convict that the person who actually killed his wife and her lover is roaming free on the outside.Norton doesnt't buy it but Andy is convinced that he may walk a free man again. Norton is worried that his secrets could be revealed if Andy is released. The helplessness of Andy and his conversations with Red are one of the many high-points of this movie. What happens next is absolutely unbelievable as the the writer-director, Frank Darabont, builds the story towards a stunning climax. Now way I am going to tell the climax :)

I really can't put my finger on which one thing actually impressed me in this movie because there were too many great things - the story, the cast, the acting, the dialogues, the direction - they were all so good. Most of the dialogues are excellent and usually there is always a new dialogue that you catch in the second or third viewing. I have seen the movie three times already and there was always something I noticed in the second and third viewings that I didnt notice in the previous ones. The casting is spot-on and the acting as I mentioned earlier is very good. Freeman as the repentant criminal acts very well as does Robbins. Also Bob Gunton's change from a bible-quoting warden to bribe-taking criminal that is very well acted out.The story deserves a special mention because of what it conveys - that the human spirit is indomitable and resourceful. This is not only the story of Andy - its also a story of Red, who feels that he will be leaving Shawshank as a senile old man. This is a story which signifies that behind many a gentle exterior lies a hardened interior - exactly the reverse of what he have heard. This is a story of a friendship. This is the story of man's anguish from another man's eyes. This story teaches us to quote Get busy living ... or get busy dying unquote. This is a movie for all ages, a must see movie.

As a parting thought, why doesn't Bollywood get inspired by such movies. Wait I know. If Bollywood ''adapts'' this story, then Red will have a wife and 2 children in his village. The zamindar killed his wife and kids when Red refused to give his harvest to the zamindar. So Red killed the zamindar and surrendered himself. So Red was a nice guy basically. As for Andy, well he has his customary 3 songs with his wife (probably Kareena Kapoor ..yuck!) The wife didnt have a lover(unless the wife is played by Bipasha Basu) and she was actually having dinner with her brother when both were killed by a mafia don (Ashish Vidyarthi or Atul Kulkarni) who had a score to settle with Andy. This mafia don then bribed the commissioner of police to frame Andy. As for Norton, well he not only gained money through illegal work of convicts, he also had links with terrorists and indulged in drug-trafficking in his prison which was actually close to the border with an unfriendly neighbouring country. Ofcourse Andy and Red then team up to kill Norton and mafia don(who were actually partners) and Red dies in the process of saving Andy. Also Norton's daughter(preferably Rani Mukherjee) is in love with Andy and they live happily ever after. And one song starring Andy and Rani, which is actually a dream of Rani's..and also one item number starring either Urmila Matondkar or Isha Koppikar in the prison where Norton and mafia don drink away to glory with their henchmen. Aaargh! What a nightmare! I hope no Bollywood film-maker gets inspired by this story :)

Thanks for reading.

You folks think I have a future as Bollywood script-writer?