Consistently referred to as the daddy, the granddaddy, and even the great-granddaddy of all prison movies. You get the picture. And it’s reputation is deserved… many of the classic prison scenes that we now associate with the genre are packed into this one drama – a new fish, some hardened cons, a practical, fair-minded Warden trying to maintain discipline in his grossly overcrowded prison, a stool pigeon, a love story, a great mess hall scene, an exercise yard teeming with prisoners, escapes, smuggled guns.. You name it, it’s in there. (more…)
Posted on May 12th, 2009 at 9:33 pm. Updated on September 23rd, 2015 at 10:13 pm.
This is as close to being inside a women’s prison in Iran that I think I’ll ever get, and a fascinating peep inside it is, too. It’s a brave film in that as well as being a prison drama, it serves as a metaphor for the treatment of women in post-revolution Iran, guaranteeing that the film would be banned there upon its release. (more…)
Posted on May 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 am. Updated on April 25th, 2020 at 9:12 pm.
Yeah, yeah, great film but where would it be without Morgan Freeman’s narration? Well, still very good, even if one has to suspend disbelief a few times. But everyone has seen Shawshank and it’s a great yarn.
Posted on May 2nd, 2009 at 12:20 am. Updated on August 29th, 2019 at 8:38 pm.
The standout prison film of all time. In my view. (more…)
Posted on May 2nd, 2009 at 12:18 am. Updated on August 27th, 2019 at 10:17 pm.