The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

 

Could this very well be the best Stephen King adaptation up to this day? 

Yes, it probably could. Because this is also a film that is almost absolutely flawless in every detail, from the execution to the performances to the camerawork, editing and what have you. 

Honestly, I could stop right there and just tell you to go and see it (or see it again), but that wouldn't make for an interesting read, now would it?

But still: go and watch it. Again. 

A young and promising banker by the name of Any Dufresne is incarcerated for the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy maintains his innocence, but his rather cold and distant demeanour does not warm the jury to him, hence the verdict. He is sent to Shawshank Penitentiary, where he at first stays mostly to himself. After a while, he starts to have some connection to Red, an inmate who has been here for some time. He also gets the attention of a band of ruthless sodomites known as The Sisters, but after Andy helps the most brutal guard with some tax issues, he assured himself of some protection. 

Things are on the up for Andy, as he now is transferred from the laundry to the library which is in piss-poor condition. This is a ruse by the warden to also fix tax problems for the guards and the warden himself, but Andy also manages to expand the library and set up a program by which the inmates can get their high school degrees. Things get even more technical, as Andy then is forced to fix the warden's shady dealings. It is a nice job, but it is still illegal. 

Things change when a young man comes to the prison, revealing that Andy indeed was innocent, but the warden has no compulsion to let Andy go, as he is far too profitable. This, coupled with the callous murder of the young man is enough to make Andy finally realise that he is never getting out any normal way, so a plan he has set in motion almost at the start of his tenure, is now completed.

In short: he escapes. 

If you just go by the story, you might think this is nothing special. But what director Frank Darabont made of the story: thàt is special. This is a very low key film, focusing solely on the characters and it is where this project shines. Not one actor feels out of place, and everyone gives a class performance. Tim Robbins is wonderful as the somewhat silent Andy, but in truth: he isn't the heart of this story. That honour belongs to Morgan Freeman as Red. He is also our narrator and observer and well, it's Morgan Freeman. I doubt if the man could play a villain and be unlikeable. But it is also made clear that a great many of these guys in prison are there because they made wrong choices and did stupid things. They're no angels, but they are clearly human. 

Well, most of them. Bogs is just an absolute cock. 

Even the bad guys are done so well. Of course, with class acts like the always excellent Clancy Brown as the sadistic guard Hadley you can do little wrong, and Bob Gunton as warden Norton is the perfect example of a pencil-pushing, hypocritical bastard. And yet, they are never portrayed in an unrealistic fashion. This film sucks you in and makes you love a lot of the characters, which makes the emotional beats hit twice as hard. 

Probably the most touching of all is the arc of Brooks, who spent most of his life inside prison and then in his old age is released and doesn't know how to fit in, simply because he never knew life outside the prison walls. It will break your heart. 

If there is one thing that might detract a little from the film, it is that the ending is a bit too clean and nice, but it is a minor fret. Everything else is absolute perfection.