What a great movie. I didn't see Shawshank Redemption in the theater, and nobody ever recommended it to me. So when I rented it one night I had low expectations, and it surprised me quite a bit when the movie easily jumped into my all-time top 10 list. The story and the acting are both excellent. But I think the thing that pushes this movie to the next level is the way it inspires you without being sappy, without resorting to the typical ham-handed techniques movies use to play on your emotions. Shawshank isn't fancy - it just tells a powerful story in a way that makes you really care about the characters. And laced into that is this great message about freedom and the power of hope. See - it's hard to even write power of hope without cringing, so imagine how tough it must be to make a great movie about it without crossing the line into sap. Well, regardless of how it accomplishes that feat, this movie is a must-see.