The Shawshank Redemption Review "Everybody's innocent in here!"

 

 

 

 

 

Well, as the Easter weekend is closing (at the time of typing this that is!) I figured its time for another post and this one will be another revisit of quite an old one, which is a review of the modern classic prison drama, The Shawshank Redemption.

So, after almost 30 years, let's see how this film still fairs...

And the usual warning is coming up...

PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

STORY  

The film begins in 1947 with Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a banker who is convicted of murdering his wife, who had an affair with a man, and is sent to Shawshank prison for two consecutive life sentences.  In prison Andy finds it tough to adapt, however he soon befriends one of the inamtes, Ellis Boyd Redding, nicknamed "Red" (Morgan Freeman) who is the man "who can get things" from the outside for other prisoners.  However Andy is forced to fight against the brutal inmates called "The Sisters", lead by Bogs (Mark Rolston), who try to gang-rape or beat him up any chance they get.  This harrowing routines carries on for Andy for the next two years. 

However in the spring of 1949, the prison warden, Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton) orders the roof of the prison to be re-tarred, which allows a number of the prisoners to volunteer for the job, including Andy and Red.  Whilst during the job, Andy listens in on a conversation between the head of the guards, the brutal Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown) who talks about some money he has been left by his dead brother, but is annoyed at the government taxing it.  Andy at the risk of his life offers Byron a way to get around this financial woe, who initially is reluctant to accept his service, but relents (and let's Andy live after nearly throwing him off the roof!).  

Soon after this Andy is attacked again by the Sisters, who very nearly beat him to death, as a result Bogs is sent to the hole for a week. However once Bogs gets out, Byron is awaiting him in his cell, and beats the hell out of Bogs, leaving him disabled for the rest of his life in a wheelchair, which sees Andy's harrowing experience of the Sisters come to a permanent end.

Once Andy gets out of the infirmary he is soon approached by Norton, who assigns him to the prison library to help out one of the prison old timers, Hatlen Brooks (James Whitmore) who does his rounds delivering books to the inmates.  Andy is also approached by one of the guards who asks him to set up a trust fund for his kids, and soon after this Andy starts to do the tax returns for all the guards at the prison as well as Norton's.  

In the meantime Brooks receives his parole to get out of prison, however on the outside he struggles to adjust to life in the world, after 50 years in prison, he hangs himself, however before he does he writes a letter he sends back to his prison mates, on reading the letter, Red sadly says "he should have died in here".  After this Andy writes letter to the Government request funds to improve the decrepit library, who send him old books and sundry items, including records, one of which Andy finds is the Marriage of Figaro, which he puts on in Norton's office over the public speaker system, which pisses off Norton, who puts Andy in solitary confinement for two weeks. 

After Andy is released he is soon involved in processing the profits of Norton's scams in using the prisoners in manual labour work, in which he makes a whole lot of money, and he has Andy launder the money, which he does under the alias of "Randall Stevens", so the IRS don't trace it back to him.  As the years move on, in 1965, a young man, Tommy (Gil Bellows) is sent to Shawshank prison after a B & E charge (breaking and entering) and soon befriends the others.  

Tommy also seeks Andy's help in getting his high school qualifications, as he dropped out of school, who helps him in doing so.  However after taking his exam, Tommy feels frustrated and scrunches up his exam paper and throws it in the bin, regardless, Andy retrieves it from the bin and posts it (we later find out that Tommy passed his exams).  Tommy more importantly on hearing how Andy ended up in jail, is compelled to tell them that he knew a man in a previous stretch he did in another prison, who boasted that he broke into a home and killed a golf pro and a woman while they were having sex (this reflects Andy's circumstances as his wife was having an affair with a golf pro).  

On hearing this Andy goes to Norton and tells him the story, who refuses to accept the story, who obviously doesn't want him to leave the prison since he is making money off Andy, and instead sends him to the hole for a month.  While Andy is in solitary confinement, Norton speaks to Tommy outside the prison compound and asks him if he is willing to testify his story in court, to which Tommy agrees.  Norton then looks up and walks away as we see Bryon from above shoot Tommy dead with a rifle.  With Andy still in confinement, Norton tells him of Tommy's death (playing it down as if Tommy tried to escape), and he insists that he will carry on helping him with his scams or he will do the hardest time there is, and he gives Andy another month in the hole "to think about it".

Once Andy gets out of confinement, he speaks to Red and says that he wishes for the dream of reaching a Mexican town on the pacific coast, Ziuhatanejo, and if Red ever get's out he is to try and locate a hayfield up in Buxton where they will be something for him.  Red, clearly worried by how Andy is talking, has a sleepless night in his cell, and in the morning, the guards are stunned to find that Andy is missing from his cell.  Norton angrily questions Red to see if he knows anything, which Red says he has no idea where Andy is.  Norton then throws a small rock that goes right through Andy's poster of Raquel Welch, which Norton rips off to find a big hole in the wall confirming that Andy has escaped.

And this leads into the film's dramatic climax as we find out the circumstances of Andy's escape and what lies ahead for the warden and also Red...

THOUGHTS

There is no doubt that the Shawshank Redemption is terrific film and after being an initial box office disappointment on its release, its reputation grew over time and became one of the most loved and acclaimed films of all time. And its the characters in Shawshank that make the film and they are  universally well drawn out and the inmates for the most part are almost quite endearing, especially as Red, and his other friends welcome Andy.  But it is of course Andy and Red's friendship that is very much at the heart of the film, as the two men become close friends on the inside, and at the end Andy gives Red hope in the prospect of a life outside prison.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers and strong language!) 

Performance wise there is little to fault here as the cast are all on top form.

Starting with Tim Robbins is terrific as Andy, as he plays him with a quiet sense of self confidence as well as a sense of determination to get through his sentence, and as Red at one point says to "crawl to freedom through a river of shit to reach the other side".  

And Tim has plenty of highlights such as the scene where Andy first talks with Red in the prison yard and asks him for a rock hammer to polish rocks with.

So, in the scene Andy says to Red "I understand your man who knows how to get things" and Red says "I've been known how to get things from time to time". Andy then asks "I wonder if you could get me a rock hammer" and Red asks "What is it? And why?" and Andy says "A rock hammer is about six or seven inches long looks like a miniature pick axe". Red asks "Pickaxe?" and Andy says "For rocks. I'm a rock hound or at least I used to be in my old life, I'd like to be again on a limited basis". Red then asks hammer "I guess you want to escape, tunnel under the wall maybe" but Andy just laughs and Red asks "What's so funny?" and Andy says "You'll understand when you see the rock hammer". 

Then there is of course the great scene where Andy takes a big risk and approaches Hadley as he complains about his tax inheritance and getting taxed by the IRS and Andy offers his financial advice for Hadley to keep it all.

So, in the scene Andy approaches Hadley and says "Mr Hadley, do you trust your wife?" and Hadley takes out his baton and walks up to him and says "Oh, that's funny! You're gonna look even funnier suckin my dick with no teeth!". Andy explains himself a bit more "What I mean is do you think she'll go behind your back and hamstring you?" and Hadley says "That's enough! Stand aside this fucker is about to have himself an accident!". So Hadley grabs Andy and pushes to  the edge of the roof and Andy anxiously shouts "Because if you do trust there's no reason you can't keep that 35000!!" and Hadley stops just short of the edge and says "35000?" and Andy says "All of it!" and Hadley asks "Tax free!" and Andy says "Every penny of it!". 

Hadley then says "You better start making sense!" and Andy says "If you want to keep that money, give it your wife. The IRS allows one time gift to your spouse up to $60,000" but Hadley is sceptical and says "Bullshit! Tax free?" and Andy says "Tax free, the IRS can't touch one cent!". Hadley then recognises how Andy is as an inmate "You're that smart wife killing banker aren't ya?! What you want me to end up in here with ya?!". Andy however tells Hadley "Its perfectly legal, you can ask the IRS yourself. In fact I feel a bit silly telling you this" and Hadley says "Fuckin A! I don't need no smart wife killing banker to tell where the bear shit the buck wheats!". Andy says "I could take care of it for you, my only price is three beers a piece for my co-workers. Man feels more like a man if he has a bottle of suds, only in my opinion, sir". Hadley then stares at Andy for a moment and slowly let's him go.

Then there is the great scene where Andy tells Red about his alias Randall Stevens that he made up to cover his and the warden's tracks with the warden's money making scams. So, as Red says to Andy "But all that paper has a trail and has got to lead to somewhere" and Andy smiles and says "It does but not to me or the warden". Red intrigued asks "Well who?" and Andy says "Randall Stevens. He's the guilty man your honor, the man with the bank accounts". Red asks "Who is he?" and Andy says "I conjured out of thin air. He doesn't exist except on paper" and Red shocked says "Andy! You can't just make a person up!". However Andy says "Sure you can, if you know where the cracks are. Mr Stevens has a bank account, social security number. If they chase him up they will just be chasing a figment of my imagination".  Red impressed says "Shit! Did I say you were good. You're a Rembrandt!" and ANdy smiles and says "You know on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to go to prison to become a crook" and Red laughs.  

Then there is the scene where Tommy tells a story about how he was caught stealing a TV set and Andy essentially puts him down for being a lousy thief. So, Andy says to Tommy "Maybe you should think about another profession. I mean you're not a very good thief" and Tommy says "Yeah, well what the hell do you know about it, Capone?! What are you in for?" and Andy says "Me? Lawyer fucked me. Everybody is innocent in here, didn't you know that?" and everyone at the table laughs.

Another good scene is when Tommy comes into the library and asks Andy if he can help him get his high school diploma. So, Tommy says to Andy "I heard you helped a few fellas get their high school diploma" and Andy dismissively says "I don't waste time with losers, Tommy" and Tommy annoyed says "I ain't no goddamn loser". Andy asks "You mean?" and Tommy says "Yeah" and Andy asks "You REALLY mean that?" and Tommy says "Yes, sir. I do" and Andy says "Good, because if we do this, we do it all the way, nothing half assed". Tommy awkwardly tells Andy "Only thing is I don't read so good" and Andy corrects Tommy "Well. You don't read so "well" and realizing that Tommy doesn't get him, he smiles a little and says "We'll get to that".

And then there is the memorable scene where Andy after having suffered two months of solitary confinement, finally comes out as a changed man and speaks with Red about his future and dream to live in Mexico. 

So, in the scene Andy says to Red "I know where I'd like to go...Zihuatanejo. Its a small resort off the Pacific coast. You know what they say about the pacific? That it has no memory. That's where I want to live, a warm place with no memory". Andy then says "When I get there, I'd like to set up a business, take guests on a tour. I could do with a man who knows how to get things". Red however says if he ever got out, he wouldn't know where to begin and that the Pacific ocean scares him as does the outside world. Andy determined however says "Not me. I didn't shoot my wife or her lover and whatever mistakes I've made since, I've paid for them and then some. That island, that boat, I don't think that's too much to ask for". Red however tells Andy "These are just shitty pipe dreams. Mexico is way down there and you're way up in here" and Andy says "Yeah! That's right! Its down there and I'm in here! It guess it comes down to a simple choice. Get busy living or get busy dying!".  

And last of all is the scene where Red finds the box that Andy buried for him in a hayfield in Buxton, Maine and he opens to find a letter and an envelope with money inside it. So Red takes out the letter and reads from it and we hear Andy for once narrate instead "Dear Red, if you are reading this then you got out. And if you are willing to come this far, maybe you are willing to come a little further. You remember the name of the town, don't you?" and Red says to himself with a smile "Ziuhatanejo". Andy continues to narrate "I could use a good man to help me get my project on wheels. I'll keep an eye out for you and the chessboard ready. Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well. Your friend. Andy". 

Morgan Freeman is also simply superb as Red, who despite his crime, once as a young man, who committed murder, now lives in regret, and he is basically a decent man who once did a bad thing.  

And Morgan has plenty of great scenes and also as he does the voice over for the film as Red, he also gets plenty of great dialogue to deliver off-screen too. 

And to start off, there is the scene where Andy has his first night in prison and the other inmates try and reel in someone who will break down in tears and Red placed his bet on Andy. And in the scene Red narrates "The first night is the toughest, no doubt about it. They march you in there naked as the day you were born, skin still burning and blind from the delousing shit they throw at you. But when you step inside that cell and the bars close, you know its for real". And after the new cellmates are locked into their cells, the other inmates start taunting the new ones and Red narrates "The boys always go fishing with first timers to see who will break down. Someone always does, its a sure a thing to bet on as anything. My money was on Andy Dufrense". However after one of the other inmates breaks down crying instead, Hadley enters on hearing the commotion and brutally beats him up and Red narrates after "Andy's first night in the cells cost me two packs of cigarettes. He never made a sound!". 

Then there is the great scene where Andy and Red first talk to each other in the prison yard and Andy asks for Red to get him a rock hammer and they agree a price but Red also warns him of the Sisters, the bull queer gang that is interested in Andy. So, Red says to Andy "The Sisters have taken quite a liking to you" and Andy says to him "I wonder if it would help any if I explain to them I'm not homosexual" and Red says "Neither are they. You have to be human first, they don't qualify. Bull queers take by force, that's all they want or understand. If I were you I'd grow eyes in the back of my head". Andy then as they close their chat says "Thank you...." and Red says "Red, my name is Red" and Andy asks "Why do they call you that?" and Red smiles and says "Maybe because I'm Irish". Red then narrates afterward "I could see why some of the boys took him as snobby. He had a quiet way about him, a walk and talk that wasn't normal around here. Like he had some kind of cloak that would shield him from this place. Yeah I think its safe to say, I liked Andy from the start". 

Another scene is where Red narrates over Andy playing the Mozart record over the speaker system of the prison and all the prisoners stop what they are doing and look up. And Red says "To this day, I still have no idea what those two Italian ladies are singing about and to tell you the truth, I don't want to. I'd like to think it was about something so beautiful it can't put into words and your heart aches because of it and for the briefest of moments every last man at Shawshank felt free". Then we see the warden, Norton appear outside his office window and he taps the window and warns Andy to turn it off, who ignores him temporarily but then he turns it up and Hadley smashes the door window open and enters. So, Red narrates "It pissed the warden off something awful. Andy got two weeks in the hole for that little stunt". 

Then there is the scene where Red watches a Rita Hayworth movie with the other inmates and Andy enters and sits behind him and asks "I understand your a man who knows how to get things" and Red says like he did earlier in the film "Yeah, I've been known to locate things from time to time. What do you want?" and Andy says "Rita Hayworth". Red a little surprised says "Rita Hayworth?" and Andy asks "Can you get her?" and after a pause Red says "Could take a few weeks" and Andy says "A few weeks" and Red "Well yeah, Andy. I don't have her stuffed down the front of my pants right now, I'm sorry to say but relax! I'll get her". 

And then there is the great scene where Red talks with Andy who is in a grim mood after his two months stint in the hole and he talks about living in a town in Mexico. And in the scene Andy asks Red "Do you think you'll ever get out of here" and Red says "Yeah...one day when I have a big white beard and two or three marbles rolling around upstairs, they'll let me out". And as Andy becomes more desperate in his tone for his dream of living in Mexico to come true, Red says to him "I don't think you should be doing this to yourself, Andy. This is just shitty pipe dreams. I mean Mexico is all the way down there and you're in here and that's how it is!".

And lastly there is the narration where Red talks of the scene where Norton commits suicide and the aftermath of Andy's escape and receiving a postcard from him and missing Andy. And in the first scene, I'll start by mentioning the moment where the police show up to arrest Hadley and Norton for murder and corruption. So, as Hadley is taken away, Red narrates "I wasn't there to see but I heard Hadley sobbed like a little girl when they took him away. But the warden had no intention of going that quietly". And then we see the warden, Norton, take out a gun and load it and then point the gun under his chin and pull the trigger and cut to him lying back dead in his chair. And Red narrates "I'd like to think the last thing that went through his head, other than that bullet is how the hell did Andy ever get the best of him". 

And in the second scene Red receives his postcard and narrates "One day I got a postcard through the mail but it had no name on it except it was addressed as Fort Hancock, Texas. Andy Dufresne the man that crawled out of a river of shit and come out clean on the other side". And we then cut to a scene of Andy driving his car along the pacific coast "When I think of Andy driving his car along the coast with the hood down, it always makes me laugh". Red then laments over Andy's escape and says "Sometimes it makes me sad, though... Andy being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend". 

And as an additional last scene there is of course the great one where Red finally tells the truth of how he feels during his parole hearing near the end of the film. 

So as the parole admin officer asks him "Do you feel rehabilitated?" Red says "Rehabilitated? Hmm, now you see I have no idea what that means". And the officer says "It means you are ready to rejoin society..." and Red interrupts and says "I know what you think it means, Sonny! To me its just a made up word. What do you really wanna know? Am I sorry for what I did?" and the officer asks "Are you?" and Red sincerely says "There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret. I see myself the way I was then, that young stupid kid that committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him and talk some sense to him, tell how the way things are. But I can't. That kid's long gone and this old man is all that's left. So, just go ahead, Sonny and stamp your form and stop wasting my time because to tell you truth, I don't give a shit!" and the officer quietly makes a note on his paperwork as Red patiently waits.

Bob Gunton next does a great job as the corrupt warden, Norton, who eventually ropes Andy into his money making scams and keeping the books. 

And I will mention a few of Bob's scene such as his first one where Andy and the other new prisoners arrived at Shawshank and Norton addresses them alongside Hadley. And Norton says "I have one rule, no blasphemy. I will not have the lord's name taken in vein in my prison, other rules you will learn as you go. Are there any questions?". And one prisoner asks "When do we eat?" and Norton looks over to Hadley who approaches the man and bluntly tells he eats when they say he does and hits him in the guy with his baton. Norton then says to the men "I believe in two things: discipline and the Bible. Here you will receive both. Put your trust in the lord, your ass belongs to me. Welcome to Shawshank".  

Then there is the scene where Andy having been told the story of Elmo Blatch, the real killer behind his wife's murder by Tommy, he approaches Norton who dismisses it in an effort to keep him where he is. So, Norton says "I have to say that's most extraordinary story I've ever heard and what's more extraordinary is that you were taken in by it". As Andy tries to explain that Tommy is telling the truth and there must be a chance that Blatch could be tracked down Norton refuses to listen. Andy then asks him "How can you be so obtuse?" and Norton annoyed asks "What did you call me?" and Andy says "Obtuse, is it deliberate?" and Norton warns Andy "Son, you are forgetting yourself". 

Andy then says "Sir, I won't say anything about what goes on in here, I'd just be an indictable as you for laundering that money". However at this point Warden furiously stands and tells Andy "Don't you ever mention money to me again, you sorry son of a bitch! Not in this place, not EVER!!" and he hits the buzzer and shouts "Get in here!". Hadley then comes in and Norton says "Solitary a month!" and Andy shocked says "What's the matter with you?! This is my chance to get out! ITS MY LIFE!!" and Norton shouts after him as Andy is dragged out "Get him out!! GET HIM OUT!!".

Then there is the great scene where Norton meets with Tommy in private outside and Norton says to Tommy "I need your help, son. If I'm to move on this, there can't be a single shred of doubt. I have to know that everything you told Dufresne is the truth" and Tommy says "Yes, sir. Absolutely!". Norton then asks "Would you be willing to swear before a judge and jury and put your hand on the good book and swear to God almighty himself?" and Tommy says "Just give me that chance" and Norton after a moment smiles and says "That's what I thought" and he pats Tommy on the shoulder and puts out his cigarette. However, Norton then looks up above and Tommy turns around to see Hadley above shoot him dead with a rifle. 

And then there is another great scene where Norton speaks to Andy after Tommy's murder, who at this stage is still in solitary confinement. So, Norton says to Andy "Terrible thing, man had less than a year to go, he tried to escape. It brook Hadley's hear to shoot him". Andy however sees through this and says "Everything stops! Get someone else to run your scams!" and Norton gives Andy an intense look and kneels down next to Andy and says "Nothing stops! Nothing! Or you will do the hardest time there is. I'll take you out of that one bunk Hilton and cast you down with the sodomites. You'll think you've been fucked by a train! And the library...gone! Brick by brick. We'll have a little book barbecue outside, you'll see the flames for miles, we'll dance around like wild Injuns. You catch my drift? Or am I being obtuse?". And Norton stands goes back out and says to Hadley outside "Give him another month to think about it" and Hadley with a grin shuts the door on Andy.

And last of all is the scene where we see Andy has escaped from his cell but there is no sign of how he escaped and Norton furiously asks his men what happened and he questions Red also on where Andy went. 

So, in the scene Norton angrily tells one of his guards, Haig "I want him found! Not tomorrow, not after breakfast! NOW!!". Norton then orders Red to be brought into Andy's cell and Norton asks him "Well?" and Red asks "Well what?" and Norton says "I see you two all the time together, you're thick as thieves you are! He must have said something" and Red says "No sir, warden. Not a word" and Norton gives a forced smiles and says "Lord, its a miracle! Man up and vanished like a fart in the wind! Nothing left but some damn rocks on the windowsill. And that cupcake on the wall" and he looks to Andy's post of the Racquel Welch and he says sarcastically "Last ask her. What do you say there fussy britches? Feel like talking?! I guess not". Norton then finally snaps and says "This is a conspiracy! One big damn conspiracy!" and he starts hurling small rocks at his men and he shouts "And EVERYONE is in on it!" and he looks angrily at the poster and says "Including her!" and he throws a rock which goes right through the picture and we hear it clatter. Norton then puts his hand right through the poster and rips it off the wall to see a big hole in the wall leaving him and his men stunned.  

Clancy Brown is also great in his role as Byron Hadley, the brutal Captain of the guards at Shawshank who does some nasty stuff in his tenure and he gets some of the best dialogue in the film.

And Clancy has some great scenes that include the one where Hadley addresses one of the new inmates at the start of the film who simply asks "When do we eat?". And Hadley goes over to the inmate and says sharply to him "You eat when we SAY you eat! You shit when we SAY you shit! And you piss when we SAY you piss! You got that you maggot dick motherfucker?!" and he hits the inmate in the gut with his baton.

Then there is the brutal scene where one of the new inmates simply called Fat ass, breaks down in tears as he shouts "I don't belong here!" as all the prisoners taunt him and cause Hadley to come in to find out what's going on. So, Hadley walks up to fat ass's cell and asks him bluntly "What's your malfunction, you fat barrel of monkey spunk?!". And fat ass says "Please! I ain't supposed to be in here! Not me!" and Hadley warns him "I ain't gonna count to three, I'm not even gonna count to one, you will shut the FUCK up, or I'll sing you a lullaby!!!". However fat ass becomes more delirious and says "You don't understand, there's been a mistake! I'm not supposed to be in here!!" and Hadley has had enough and says "Open that cell!" and he grabs fat ass and proceeds to beat the hell out of him and knocks him unconscious. Afterward there is a stony silence as Hadley puts his hat on and warns the prisoners "If I hear as much as a mouse fart in here the rest of the night, I swear by God and sonny Jesus, you will ALL visit the infirmary! Every last motherfucker in here!".  Hadley then says to his men quietly "Call the trustees to take that tub of shit down to the infirmary" and he walks out.

And then there is the great scene where Hadley complains about inheritance money he has been left by his dead brother but that the IRS is bound to take a big cut of it, however Andy approaches him and tells him how Hadley can keep all the money. 

So, in the scene Hadley complains to his guards "What do you think the government is gonna do to me? They're gonna take a big wet bite out of my ass that's what! Uncle Sam! I swear to God he grabs you by the tit and squeezes it until you go purple! Some brother!". Andy then approaches Hadley slowly and the guards alarmed spin round and Andy asks Hadley "Mr Hadley, do you trust your wife?" and Hadley takes out his baton and says "That's real funny. You're gonna look even funnier sucking my dick with no teeth!". Andy however then asks "What I mean is do you think she'd ever go behind your back and hamstring you?" and Hadley grabs Andy and says "That's it Merf! Stand aside, this fucker's having himself an accident!" and hauls to the edge of the roof and Andy quickly says "Because if you trust there is no reason you can't keep that $35000!". Hadley stops and asks "All of it?!" and Andy says "All of it! Every penny!". 

Hadley then warns Andy "You better start making sense!" and Andy explains to Hadley what he means and that the IRS can allow a one time gift of up to $60,000 to a spouse and that he is willing to take care of the paperwork to organize it for him. So, Hadley says to Andy "You're that smart wife killin banker, aren't you? Why should I believe a smart banker like you?! So, I can wind up in here like you?!". Andy explains its all perfectly legal and he could look into himself and Hadley angrily "Yeah fuckin A! I don't need no smart wife killing banker to tell me where the bear shit in buck wheats!". Andy then says "Of course not. But you do need someone to set up the tax free gift for you. A lawyer for example and that'll cost you" and Hadley angrily says "A bunch of ball washing bastards!" and Andy offers to take care of it for him free of charge and requests just a few beers as reward. Hadley thinks it over and notices the prisoners tarring the roof  are all watching him and he shouts at them "What are you Jimmies starin at?! Get back to work!!" and he let's go of Andy.

And last of all is the scene where Andy plays Mozart over the prison's PA system much to the annoyance of the Warden as Andy has locked the door to his office. And in the scene, Norton warns Andy "I warning you Dufresne! TURN THAT OFF!" but Andy turns it up even louder and Norton looks to Hadley, who looks through the door window and taps the glass with his baton and says "Dufresne...you're mine now!". And as Andy serenely shuts his eye to the music, the next thing we see is Hadley smash the glass of the door window with his baton and he unlocks the door, goes in and turns off the record and says "On your feet!!". 

Gil Bellows is excellent also in his role as Tommy, another inmate who is serving a sentence for robbery and reveals some important information about Andy's crime.

And Gil has some great scenes that include his first one where Tommy tells the men a story about how he was arrested carrying a stolen TV set. So, Tommy tells the men "So, I had this big TV on me, couldn't see shit and all of a sudden this cop appears and says "Freeze kid! Hands in the air!" and I stand there and say nothing. And the cop then says "Did you hear what I said boy?" and Tommy says "Yes, I did sir but if I drop this fuckin thing then you've got me on destruction of property too!" and they all laugh.

Another good scene is the one where Tommy asks for Andy to help him achieve his high school equivalency diploma. So, in the scene Tommy goes up to Andy in the library and says to him "I was thinking about getting my GED. I heard you helped some fellas get that". Andy however dismissively says to him "I don't wast time with losers, Tommy" and Tommy annoyed says "I ain't no goddamn loser!" and Andy says "You mean that?" and Tommy says "Yeah" and Andy says "Good, because if we do this, we do it all the way, nothing half-assed". Tommy then awkwardly says "Only thing is I don't read so good" and Andy corrects him "Well, you don't read so "well" but Tommy looks confused and Andy says "We'll get to that".

And then there is the great scene where Tommy on the day of his test, Tommy sits nervously writing as Andy holds up a stopwatch and he stops it and says "Time". Andy then asks "Well?" and Tommy says grimly "Well, its for shit. I wasted a whole year of my time with this bullshit" and Andy says "Come on, its probably not as bad as you think" and Tommy says "No, it worse, I didn't get a fuckin thing right, it might as well have been in Chinese!". Andy then says "Let's just see how the score comes out" and Tommy angrily tells him "Yeah? Well, I'll tell you how the goddamn score comes out...!" and he scrunches up the test paper and throws it in the bin. Tommy then shouts "Two points! Right there is your goddamn score! Goddamn cats crawling up trees, five times five is 25! FUCK THIS PLACE!!! FUCK IT!!" and he angrily storms out. 

And this is followed by the scene where Red explains to Tommy what Andy is in prison for and how he killed his wife and a golf pro who were sleeping with each other, which leaves Tommy shaken. 

So, we cut to Tommy telling a story about an inmate he shared a cell with called Elmo Blatch and he says "About four years ago I was up in Thomaston on a two to three stretch. Stole a car. It was a dumb-fuck thing to do. About six months left to go, I get a new cellmate in. Elmo Blatch. Big, twitchy fucker. Kind of roomie you pray you don't get, you know what I'm sayin'? Six to twelve, armed burglary. Said he'd pulled hundreds of jobs - hard to believe, high-strung as he was, you cut a loud fart he'd jump three feet in the air. Talked *all the time*, too, that's the other thing, he never shut up. Places he'd been, jobs he'd pulled, women he fucked. Even, people he killed. People, gave him shit. That's how he put it. So one night like a joke, I say to him, I say, "Yeah, Elmo, who'd you kill?" So he says: and we cut to Elmo himself who tells the story of how he killed a golf pro and a woman he was with and that they pinned the crime on a banker.  

And last of all is Gil's final scene where Norton speaks privately to Tommy outside and asks him about what Elmo's story and if its true. So, Norton says to Tommy "I need your help, son. I have to know if what you told Dufresne is the truth" and Tommy says "Yes, sir. Absolutely" and Norton asks "Would you be willing to swear before a judge and jury? Having placed your hand on the good book and taken an oath before the God almighty himself?" and Tommy confidently says "Just give me that chance!" and Norton after a moment smiles and says "That's what I thought" and he pats him on the shoulder. Norton however then puts out his cigarette and looks up above as does Tommy who is shot dead by Hadley in a tower with a rifle.

William Sadler also does a great job in his role as Heywood, one of the inmates, who is friendly with Red and the others and he appears to be a bit sinister at first but he turns out to be quite likeable and amusing as he goes on in the film as well as not too bright!

And I will mention a few of Sadler's scenes such as the one where Heywood taunts the new cell mate, Fat Ass, who Heywood bet on breaking down in tears on his first night. So, Heywood in the cell next to Fat Ass says to him "Fat ass! Hey Fat ass! I know you're there, I can hear you breathing. Don't you listen to those nitwits you hear? This place ain't so bad. Tell you what, I'll show around and help you settle in. I know a few bull queers who just love to make you acquiantance especially with that big mushy white butt of yours!". And Fat ass finally breaks down and cries out "I don't belong here!" and Heywood smiles and triumphantly shouts "And its Fat Ass by a nose!!" and he chants "Fresh fish! Fresh fish!" as do all the other inmates. However as Hadley enters and threatens Fat Ass, Heywood tries to warn him quietly "Shut up, man. Shut up!" but to no avail as Fat Ass becomes more hysterical and Hadley takes him out and brutally beats him.

And his next scene of note is the next morning where Heywood having been triumphant with his bet of Fat Ass breaking down crying, gets his share of packs of cigarettes. So, Heywood smugly tells the men "Its a fine morning, ain't it? You know why its a fine morning? Come on, set em down! I want them all lined up!". And the cons all bring out their cigarettes and Heywood lines them up side by side and he smells them and says "Ah, yes! Richmond, Virginia!". Heywood then smugly continues "I do love that horse of mine! I do believe I owe a big sloppy kiss the next time I see him!" and he asks one of the other inmates "How is that horse of mine doing?" and the inmate tells him "Dead" much to Heywood and everyone else's shock. The inmate then says "Hadley busted his head up pretty good. Doc had already gone home for the night, poor bastard lay there till this morning, hell then there was nothing we could do!". After a silence, Andy asks "What was his name?" and Heywood coldly asks "What you say?" and Andy asks "I just wondered if somebody knew his name" and Heywood says to him "What the fuck do you care, new fish?! Doesn't fuckin matter what his name was, he's dead!".

Another good scene comes when Brooks holds Heywood at knife point after learning he is to be released from prison. And Brooks finally relents and let's Heywood go of him and afterwards the men ask after Brooks and Heywood angrily says "Hey what about me?! Crazy old goddamn fool nearly cut my throat!" and Red says "Ah shit, you've had worse from shaving! What did you say to set him off anyway?" and Heywood says "I didn't do nothing! I came here to say fare thee well! Didn't you hear?! His parole had come through!". 

And last of all is the scene where Andy, Red and Heywood and the other cellmates they are friendly with all look through some books that have been donated to the prison library. So, Heywood looks at one title and says "The Count of Monte Crisco" and one of the inmates corrects him "That's Cristo, ya dumb shit!" and the others laugh. And Heywood looks at the author and says "By Alexander Dumbass!" and they all break up laughing and Andy puzzled asks "Dumb ass??" and Heywood shows him the book and Andy corrects him "Dumas". 

James Whitmore as Brooks Hatlen, an elderly inmate who has been in prison for most of his life but is later paroled and struggles to adapt to life on the outside. And Whitmore provides a charming performance as the old prisoner, who has a heartbreaking tragic end to his story. 

And I will mention two of his scenes that include the one where after Andy is assigned to help Brooks in the library, he is ordered to help set up a trust fund for one of the guards. So, afterward Brooks laughs with the other men as he tells the story about how Andy dealt with the guard. And Brooks says to the others while they eat "And then Andy says "Mr Dekins, do you want your sons to go to Harvard or Yale?" and they all laugh. And one of the men, Floyd says "He didn't say that!" and Brooks laughs and says "God is my witness! Dekins just looked at him a second and laughed himself silly and afterwards actually shoot Andy's hand. I nearly soiled myself! I mean all he needed was a shirt and a tie and he would "Mr Dufresne" if you please!".

And last of all is the scene where Brooks holds Heywood at knife point as he warns the others to keep back "KEEP BACK! I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna cut his fuckin throat!!". But Andy calms him down and reasons with him and says "Look at Heywood's neck, for God sake. He's bleeding" and Brook finally relents and tears up and says "But its the only way they'd let me stay" and he drops the knife and sobs to himself as Andy comforts him. This is then followed by the poignant sequence where Brooks struggles to adapt to the outside world and he decides to hang himself and he narrates "I just want to be back where things make sense" before his death. 

And last of all is Mark Rolston as Bogs, the gang leader of the Sisters, who have a vested interest in Andy and frequently assault him physically (and sexually!) early on in the film.

And I will mention two of Rolston's scenes starting with the one where Bogs first speaks to Andy in the shower room surrounded by other inmates. So, Bogs asks Andy "Hey, has anyone got to you yet?" and Andy turns around and Bogs asks again "Anybody GET to you yet? We all could use friends in here and I could be a FRIEND to you". Andy however just walks away and Bogs pushes him as he goes and Bogs says to himself "Hard to get. I like that!". 

And lastly there is the scene where Bogs and his gang ambush Andy as he leaves the cinema and they throw him into the projection room. And Bogs says to the projectionist "Take a walk!" who says "I gotta change a reel!" and Bogs shouts at him "I said FUCK OFF!" and the projectionist goes out. Bogs then looks at Andy and says "Ain't you gonna scream?" and Andy says "Let's get this over with" and he grabs a film reel and hits Bogs in the face with it and one of his gang who shouts "He broke my fuckin nose!".

Bogs then beats up Andy and takes out a knife and holds it close to his face and says "Now, I'm gonna open my fly and you're gonna swallow what I give you to swallow. And then you gonna swallow Rooster's because you broke his nose, he better have something to show for it" and Andy warns him "Anything you put in my mouth you're gonna lose". Bogs then says "You don't understand" he holds up his knife and says "You do that and I'll put a whole inch of this steel in your ear" and Andy says "Alright but you should know that sudden serious brain injury can cause the victim to bite down hard. In fact I heard the bite reflex is so strong, they have pry the victim's mouth open with a crowbar". Bogs then looks for once shaken and asks "Where did you get this shit?" and Andy says "I read it. You know how to read, you ignorant fuck?" and Bogs says to him "Honey...you shouldn't!" and he throws his knife away and proceeds to brutally beat Andy up.

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the direction, Frank Darabont does a great job here with the film as well having written the script and adapted it from the book by Stephen King, which is called Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. However Darabont felt this title would confuse audiences and decided to remove Rita Hayworth from the title. The film also rarely ever lags and is well paced throughout and Darabont also gets great performances from the cast and I'd also recommend listening to his commentary on the film if you ever get the Blu-ray disc, which is excellent. In short though, this is easily Daranbont's finest work. 

Moving onto the score of the film, which is by Thomas Newman and it is simply superb and fits the tone of the film perfectly as it is beautiful, dramatic and poignant all at once. The score also would act as template for many future scores and it features Newman's very familiar piano cues all of which work perfectly. Overall this is definitely of Newman's best and most memorable works. 

FLAWS

As for flaws...well The Shawshank Redemption does have some minor ones but nothing much.

For starters, I wondered about how Andy kept giving financial advice to not only Norton and Hadley but also the entire guard staff but how do the authorities not find out its one of the convicts that is helping them out??? I think however as Andy later says to Red that his alias of Randall Stephens is the man behind it all but did he use that alias when he started doing all the tax returns for the guards and Norton? I'm not too sure about that one!

Another issue relates to Andy's alias of Randall Stevens being the "guilty man with all the bank accounts" which if that is so then surely the bank staff could possibly let the authorities know where he is going as the bank manager we see said "I hope you enjoy living abroad" which suggests he told them where he is going. He might not have of course but its enough there to suggest he could have. 

I also have an issue with Red violating his parole in that he stays in the same hotel that Brooks did (and you wonder how did he find that one out unless he did some serious asking around!) carves the words "So was Red" on the ceiling along side Brooks words "Brooks Hatlen was here". Its possible also that they could trace where Red went as we see him order tickets for Fort Hancock in Texas and even though he says "I doubt they'll throw up a few roadblocks for an old con like me" they could still try as he is linked to an escapee from the same prison.  

I also thought the only time the film really lags is during the sequence where Brooks is released from prison and struggles to adapt to living in the outside world and later sadly takes his own life as a result. I guess its a necessary section of the film but one I always found it a bit heavy going and depressing and tend to skip it when watching the film. 

Its also funny to think that Andy's rock hammer lasted as long as it did without breaking when he was tunneling out the wall and didn't need another one! And as Red narrates they found it after Andy escaped and it was "damn near worn right down to the nub!" which makes it even remarkable that it hadn't broken being used for carving his chess pieces and tunneling. 

Another slight oddity I discovered was to do with the make-up for the actors in the film as the story takes place over 19 years, Tim and Morgan's make-up is subtle to show they have aged. However if you notice the other actors, they look like they haven't aged at all particularly William Sadler as Heywood and David Proval's character (who would later appear as Richie Aprile in the Sopranos) they look almost exactly the same!

And lastly there are some daft lines or dialogue here there in the film such as the line where Hadley threatens the prisoners after beating up Fat Ass by saying they will "all visit the infirmary! Every last motherfucker in here!" if they don't keep quiet. Now I know he doesn't literally mean it but I don't think the prison has enough beds to cope with a whole floor of beaten up prisoners! Yeah OK, I know its just a loaded threat but at the same time its one that makes little logical sense. 

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to sum up, The Shawshank Redemption almost 30 years still remains a modern classic and one of the all time great films of the 1990's which tells a poignant story about the friendship of two prisoners and does it brilliantly that has great writing and features two great performances by Freeman and Robbins. The film's script and direction both by Frank Darabont are superb and the film is backed up confidently also by its terrific score by Thomas Newman and some elegant cinematography by Roger Deakins. 

The film in a way was also unfortunate victim of timing on its release as it fell under the radar with the likes of Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump grabbing all the headlines for that year, Shawshank sadly didn't come on until a year after when video rentals went through the roof and the film's reputation grew thanks to word of mouth. But it now rightly stands as one of the best films of its time and as also stands as a message of hope for many people which makes it as relevant today as the day it was released. But all that aside its basically just a damn good movie! ;-)

So, I will rate the Shawshank Redemption:

10 out of 10 

So, that's it for now and I will be back soon with