The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Directed by: Frank Darabont

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, and William Sadler

Banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) finds himself incarcerated in the Shawshank State Penitentiary.  Despite the fact that he's convinced of his innocence, Andy is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover in cold blood and must serve two life sentences.  While learning to survive in the brutal world that is prison, he is befriended by Red (Morgan Freeman), a crafty inmate also serving a life sentence at Shawshank.  Andy faces terrible challenges in adjusting to this new life.  He will never fit the mold of the typical prisoner and his awe-inspiring journey solidifies this.

The Shawshank Redemption is a compelling film full of elegant storytelling, thought-provoking depictions, and brilliant acting.  It's equally gritty and majestic.  As great as Tim Robbins is as the insular Andy Dufresne, Morgan Freeman is simply better as the wily, institutionalized inmate Red.  Freeman is graceful in every scene in which he is either seen on screen or heard in narration.  It truly shows why Freeman is a living legend.  Darabont's Shawshank is an awe-inspiring film that everyone should see.  It is absolutely impossible to not love this film!