Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)

reviewed by
Michael J. Legeros

                             THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
                       A film review by Michael John Legeros
                        Copyright 1994 Michael John Legeros

Written and
  directed by       Frank Darabont, from the novella by Stephen King
Cast                Tim Robbins
                    Morgan Freeman
                    Bob Gunton
                    William Sadler
                    Clancy Brown
                    James Whitmore
MPAA Rating         "R" (for violence, language, and rape)
Running Time        144 minutes

==

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is one of the most faithful Stephen King adaptations to date and that's only partial good news for viewers of this pleasing prison pic. Taken from the short novel "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," the film recounts the 20-year friendship between two "lifers" (Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) and how that relationship changes both each other and the entire prison community.

True to tradition, every calaboose cliche is present and accounted for: the sadistic "screw" (Clancy Brown), the Warden From Hell (Bob Gunton), and the bad-but-not-too-bad cons (William Sadler and Gil Bellows, among others). But don't hold your breath for any action--a rape is the most jailhouse rock you'll see here.

Too bad, then, that writer/director Frank Darabont never gets a firm hold on his hoosegow. Just as King occasionally overwrites, Darabont occasionally "overfilms." Simply, he lets too many scenes run too long.

     (Oh, what a Coen brother could've done here!)

Darabont's eye is fine, though, and the prison--a condemned facility in Ohio--looks as sharp as any stir seen before. Strange, then, that the film never feels as lived-in as it looks.

One problem is Tim Robbins, too bland for the soft-spoken role of a banker who was convicted of killing his wife and her lover. His character has neither sides nor edge; he's Forrest Gump with a brain. Mainstream audiences won't mind, though--they'll cry just as much as they did in that other film. Sigh.

Morgan Freeman, on the other hand, excels beyond expectations as the prison "fixer." Jeez, when did he get so good? Too bad the script shortchanges him by never elaborating enough on his character.

Other cast members include Clancy Brown (remember HIGHLANDER?), James Whitmore (last seen going NUTS), and veteran stage actor Bob Gunton as the religious warden whose first rule is "no blasphemy." Gunton once played Professor Harold Hill and that's pretty funny until you recall William Sadler's previous role as Death in BILL AND TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY. Excellent.

BOTTOM LINE:    THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is a dialogue-driven
                crowd-pleaser that's good for almost anyone.  Suckers
                for a prison pic or a Stephen King story should find
                themselves in seventh heaven.

Grade: B

Michael J. Legeros

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Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)

reviewed byMichael J. Legeros

reviewed by
Michael J. Legeros