Instead of actually writing and being productive this evening, I spent a good portion of time watching The Shawshank Redemption after coming across it on HBO. It’s one of those movies that I’m excited to watch just about anytime that it comes on…and not in the bad movie sort of way, either.
I especially love how it keeps a sense of humor through the whole ordeal while also dealing with some very serious issues – corruption and abuse of power in the prison system, the difficulty in adapting back into society after one gets out, and of course ultimately, the idea of being locked up for the better part of your life for a crime that you didn’t actually commit (is it still considered a spoiler 17 years after the movie came out?). Sure, it’s a dry humor … as one would kind of expect from being in prison under a life sentence … but Morgan Freeman has some great delivery through the narration of this movie – makes me think listening to the man read the phonebook would be just as riveting as listening to him read the Constitution or something.
Plus, I like that everything works out for Andy and Red at the end – it’s really neat to see Red’s journey to find his friend once again after getting released on parole … a bit morose just because he’s been through so damn much, but also hopeful and determined. The fade out when he walks up to Andy working on his boat on the beach does a perfect job of leaving you saying, “Man, that was a great movie…”
Granted, I suppose technically I was supposed to be working, but still, a great movie nonetheless! 😉