Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Ok, first movie, the Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The Shawshank Redemption is about a businessman (Tim Robbins character, Andy Dufresne) who has thoughts of killing his wife and her lover after finding out she's cheating on him. He goes as far as getting a gun, loading the gun, drinking a lot, and sitting out in the car seemingly waiting to kill them. We find out later in the movie that he in fact did not kill the lovers but tossed his gun in the river and drove away. However, in a horrible twist of fate, the lovers are killed on the same night by a hired thug (hired to kill the boyfriend) and Andy is charged with a double murder and will serve two life sentences at the Shawshank prison.

Upon Andy's arrival at Shawshank prison he is singled out by the "Sisters" and is repeatedly bullied by them. However, Andy becomes good friends with Morgan Freeman's character Red, who smuggles items into the jail (like cigarettes and hygiene items). Two key items Red smuggles in for Andy are 1) a small pick (roughly 7-8 inches long) used by rock collectors and 2) large posters of show girls.

There is a key scene where Andy, Red and some of their other friends are selected for outdoor detail. Andy overhears a guard telling the other guards about receiving some inheritance but being upset about how much in taxes he'll owe on the money. Andy suggests that the guard bequeath the money to his wife, therefore avoiding the taxes. This little scenario wins Andy and his crew ice-cold beers and the attention of the prison warden. Following this, Andy is moved from laundry detail to library detail. He starts providing legal advice for the guards and doing all their taxes. Next thing we know, Andy is the prison warden's little pet. Andy is asked to "hide" money in fake bank accounts to cover up what the prison warden is making off hiring out the prisoners. Time passes and Andy appears content to build up the Shawshank prison library until a young punk shows up.

Andy takes the young man under his wing and helps him earn his GED. Interestingly, the young man happened to run into the hired thug who killed Andy's wife (unbeknownst to him ofcourse). Thus, this young man's testimony could shed light on Andy's case and provide evidence for an appeal. The prison warden catches wind of this and kills the young man, to Andy's great dismay.

At this point we fear that Andy is going to commit suicide, when in fact, he is planning his escape! Turns out Andy has dug a hole in the prison wall with his tiny pick (covered by his showgirl posters), which took him years and years. Andy escapes and sticks it to the prison warden by exposing the prison murders and illicit money funds. Andy makes off with some of the money to an island to open a hotel and restore an old fishing boat. He leaves directions and money behind for Red, so that they can meet up once Red is on parole. At the end of the movie, Red finds Andy on the beach restoring his fishing boat.

I liked this movie because of the camaraderie between the prisoners. It really made you feel for humanity. The profound sense of friendship between Andy and Red is what really makes the movie. At the end of the movie when Red sees Andy on the fishing boat and they run over to each other and give each other huge bear hugs, you feel like the sky's the limit. Hope for the future and hope for humanity is the overwhelming message. I think that's probably why this movie was a recommended must-see for my top 30 list. The power of hope against impossible odds.

Next up... Braveheart!