Shawshank Redemption is the current highest rated film of all time and for good reason. Every aspect of this movie is thought out, as it’s shown through the characters, setting, and the actor’s ability to perform to the level they did. Not only this, but it’s also two hours and twenty-two minutes long so you can sit down and pass the time with friends and family or bask in its glory by yourself. 

     To start we need to talk about the characters. Each character feels fleshed out and you can understand where each of them comes from, which is important to a good character. In the movie we follow Andy Dufresne, someone who was falsely convicted and is now in Shawshank prison. During his time there he is picked on by some people but makes some phenomenal changes like getting a library and making the warden his “friend”. This shows Andy cares about the people there and wants better for them while also wanting to escape the prison, shown by him leaving the country to Mexico. This little bit of insight makes Andy feel like a real human being that you can understand down to the bone. 

     The last thing to talk about is the setting. There are only a few settings but the biggest one, and the one I want to talk about, is the prison. When Andy first enters the prison Its portrayed as old, crumbly, and a trap, and that’s how it should be as that’s how a lifelong prison is supposed to be. When the movie is half-way done, it looks a bit different as people are going to the library, getting their education, etc. It makes the place a little livelier and is a huge change that changes the atmosphere of the movie to a brighter and lifted mood. 

     For these reasons and more that I didn’t mention, I believe Shawshank Redemption to be a masterpiece. Again, everything about the movie is throughout to a level most movie writers can’t achieve from the small details to the big dramatic and fatal details. Even if I didn’t fully convince you, as the highest rated film of all time, you must at least try the first thirty minutes of the movie. It would be criminal if you didn’t!