The Shaw Shank Redemption - Movie Review Example

?Man has in himself the desire to live a life of freedom. If you place him in an area not conducive to life, he will look for a way, either to escapeor to make it a better place to live. I believe that, deep down in the heart of every man, there is a desire to live free, and this desire is expressed in different ways depending on the environment that one lives. I believe this truth is expressed in this movie by the main character. Freedom, either freedom of the mind or freedom of place, either way, every man wants to live in freedom. My proposal is that, man will never be free until he is willing to hope against hope, and take a step towards what other people call impossible. We are held prisoners by our surroundings, and unless we are will to think outside the box, we will remain in the box. The movie tells of an incredible story about the desire for freedom. Although this movie may seem like any other prison movie at first, but as you continue watching it, you will discover that it is about hope, and it will captivate your heart. It tells the story of a certain prosperous banker who was sent to prison for killing his wife and her bed mate. He comes back home and finds them in bed, and out of anger, he shoots and kills them both. The judges pronounce him, “a particularly remorseless and icy man”. This banker named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is then taken to a prison called Shaw Shank, a prison reserved for the worst of mankind. In this prison, guards would often brutally beat the prisoners especially when they do something wrong, such as attempt an escape. Conflicts and fights among inmates was a common thing as well. Red is the narrator of this story and he begins it quite interestingly by saying, “I wish I could tell you that Andy fought the good fight, and the Sisters let him be. I wish I could tell you that - but prison is no fairy-tale world. He never said who did it, but we all knew. Things went on like that for a while - prison life consists of routine, and then more routine. Every so often, Andy would show up with fresh bruises. The Sisters kept at him - sometimes he was able to fight 'em off, sometimes not. And that's how it went for Andy - that was his routine. I do believe those first two years were the worst for him, and I also believe that if things had gone on that way, this place would have got the best of him.” As Andy enters the prison, he becomes the target of some of the prisoners, because he is new and looks weak. But this quickly changes as he starts to make some unusual friends. He meets a certain man by the name of Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding (a character played by Morgan Freeman). This man who goes by the nickname Red has been sent to prison for life. He has covered a lot of years, and there is no hope for him of ever seeing the outside world. Andy soon discovers that Red likes to smuggle things in for the prisoners, and he exchanges them for whatever he wants. As the friendship between this two amazing men starts to build up, Red starts to realize that Andy is more than what meets the eye. But he doesn’t see much in him, as we can see in his comment, “I must admit, I didn’t think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him, looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man.” In the meantime, Andy helps a certain hardened prisoner who has a tax problem, and in exchange he gets bottles of cold beer, and he distributes them to the other prisoners. This helps him get the soft side of most of the prisoners, and helps reduce some of the bullying from other prisoners. After this, Andy moves from one project to another. First he helps to make the prison library a better place, and he also helps the prisoners that tend to use the library by helping them to study. He continues to take care of the tax returns of the guards, and he continues further by helping the tough warden (Bob Gunton) in some areas he needs help. This proves to be a wise move because, as the years go by, he gets respect and trust from the inmates, guards and also the Warden himself. Andy will later tell Red, “You know, the funny thing is, on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow, I had to come to prison to be a crook”. But despite all this, he does not lose his focus, because, Andy, unlike the other prisoners, has a plan to set himself free. A well-thought plan that he plans to put into action. And as the others think that he is just another good man, he is laying his groundwork for what will turn out to be one the greatest escapes. But as Red puts it, “hope is a dangerous thing, hope can drive a man insane. Andy tries to put in Red his own desire to be free, as we can see in the following dialogue, Andy, “That's the beauty of music. They can't get that from you... Haven't you ever felt that way about music? Red, “I played a mean harmonica as a younger man, but lost interest in it. It didn't make much sense in here.” Andy replies, “Here's where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don't forget.” Red, “Forget”, Andy, “Forget that... there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone. That there's something inside... that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours.” Red says, “What are you talking about?” and Andy replies, “hope”. In this dialogue we can see that, Andy believes Red has hope laid deep within him, but his present condition is trying to keep it buried. Andy determines to reignite the hope within Red, so that he too may think outside the box. Mr Freeman, one of the most talented and successful men in Hollywood, plays his role very well. So much that, his character may seem to overshadow Tim Robbins character, especially in the first few scenes where they meet. His character Red tells Andy that he has become dependent to the prison walls for they have given shape to his life. But although Andy is a subdued figure, he plays it intensely, and ends up being the main figure that everyone else looks up to, sort of like a father figure. He even shows his dislike of the place through a dialogue with Red. He asks him, “You know what Mexicans say about the Pacific?” Red says, “No”. Then Andy replies, “They say it has no memory, that’s where I want to live the rest of my life, a warm place with no memory. In order for Andy to raise some funds for his planned escape, he chooses to write weekly letters to some state officials. He manages to create a false figure and a false account, and it is when all this is established that he decides to make his escape, it all happens at night. It is all made easy through the fact that Andy was able to drill a hole through the wall of his cell during the years that he was confined there. He enters the hole, and then ends up crawling 500 yards through a sewage pipe. He ends up throwing up because of the intense smell of the sewage. As he crawls out of the sewage pipe, he takes off his prison clothes, and breathes in the fresh air of freedom. Meanwhile, there is commotion as the prison officials realize that Andy has escaped. This all happens when the hole that Andy drilled on the wall and covered with a picture of Rita Hayworth is final discovered. But it is all too late, for Andy has already escaped. Red on the other hand gets a parole, and he too is able, at last, to leave the confines of Shaw Shank prison. Red then gets a ride to Buxton, to a designated spot where Andy agreed to meet him. As he gets there, he finds a note from Andy that says, “Dear Red. If you're reading this, you've gotten out. And if you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further. You remember the name of the town, don't you? 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” This note fills him with great joy because he knows that he now has a bright future. The last comments from Red tell it all, “Get busy living, or get busy dying. That's goddamn right. For the second time in my life, I am guilty of committing a crime. Parole violation, of course, I doubt they'll toss up any roadblocks for that. Not for an old crook like me. I find I am so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.” The way the author wrote this movie, is amazing because it captures the different passions of the human spirit. It captures hope, love, and loyalty. And maintained his hope that one day he will escape from Shaw Shank and become a free man. He also maintained his filial friendship with Red, and he showed his loyalty to him by remembering him when he escaped. Once again the human is capable of being depended upon especially when friendships are made between two people. We see in this movie that, freedom is the desire of every human being. We are born with the realization that we are not free, and hence we desire to gain freedom but we don’t know where it is or how to attain it. Some try to get it through their careers, some through friendships, and some through education, but in the end, everybody realizes that freedom cannot be found in these things. It has been proven that some have found it in religion, as they commune with a higher being. But many people hesitate to venture into this ground because they think it has many rules and restrictions. Hence we are left with the question, what will fill the desire that lurks deep within every human being? Until we find the answer to this question, we will be like the prisoners of Shaw Shank, they desire freedom but don’t know where to get it or how to get it. It is this that every human being will have to answer for himself. Read More