Guest blogger: Justin 1

The Shawshank Redemption is a very character driven movie. The story is about Andy Dufresne and his wrongful conviction of murder and being sent to prison. In the beginning, Andy is out drinking and his plan actually was to kill his wife and her lover. He was drunk and depressed because she left him. The movie then shoots to the present time in the court room where Andy is stating his testimony. The court finds him guilty of murder and is sentenced to two life sentences back to back. Andy is supposed to serve life in prison but quickly becomes friends with Morgan Freeman’s character, Red. Morgan Freeman did a great job playing the role of Red. Freeman also narrates the movie from time to time. Who better to narrate?! Tim Robbins was great for the role of Andy and really pulled it off. Bob Gunton who played Warden Norton has a fierce look and feel to him. He was really great in this movie. He really pulled off the attitude of an actual prison Warden. So let’s talk about the characters. Let’s start with Andy…. Andy Dufresne is a banker on the outside world. He is a very smart man. Even inside his knowledge comes in handy, he creates a fictional man with all the right credentials and paperwork to pass as an actual citizen while he is just a figment of Andy’s mind and he even helps out the guards with their taxes. Red is the guy who knows how to get things. Every prison has one guy who can get you what you want. Cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, you name it, Red can get it for a price obviously. Warden Norton has a cold, dark feel about him. He believes in two things, discipline and The Bible. He stares as the guards beat a man half to death without even flinching. Simply put, Warden Norton has barely any sympathy for criminals. The theme of this movie is the pain of being locked up and how it can get to you. Some prisoners are just used to jail while others are scared to death of it. Brooks, the librarian, was so used to prison that when he got out he couldn’t handle the real world and ended up committing suicide. He was in jail for 90% of his life. Rotten Tomatoes did an article that stated that “The Shawshank Redemption is an uplifting, deeply satisfying prison drama with sensitive direction and fine performances.” It was given a 9/10. If I could I would give this movie a 100/10. I love this movie. Realistically I give it a 10/10. It’s practically perfect. This movie is definitely worth your time and money. I would recommend it to everyone and if I could, make it mandatory for everyone to see it. It’s that good!