The pressure of living a double life is what intrigues me most about this film. First, we have Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) who is practically raised by big time Irish mobster Frank Castello (Jack Nicholson). Sullivan could have turned out a nice kid- he had the drive and potential to be a great lawyer and to work his way up in the political system but sadly was steered in the wrong direction by fear and coercion. Sullivan graduates from the police academy and is quickly promoted as state police detective, illustrating his natural ability to be something great, something better. Ironically his first big assignment is to take down the only father figure he has in his life…Castello. Torn between his loyalty to Castello and his internal drive for greater (and legal) things in life, Sullivan dutifully works as a mole for Castello within the investigative police group.

Sullivan’s internal struggle is definitely one of compelling interest. Think about it…you have this intelligent young man who is obviously meant for great things, but his upbringing was anything but conventional. Mobsters raising children isn’t exactly TV Land material, but I’m not saying that Castello didn’t do a good job. I’m sure he passed on numerous life skills and hard knock knowledge which very much could have contributed to Sullivan’s personality as a tough, determined leader. But the hold that Castello has over Sullivan is the sad part. He actually wants to do something with his life, get out of the criminal activity that has surrounded him since he was a young boy, and even finds a great girl with whom he could share this newfound revelation. They fall in love, move in together and are well on their way to taking the next step in their relationship, if not for the secrets and serious anxiety surrounding Sullivan. Without being able to fully confide in her as a true partner should be able to do, there leaves a space of distance between them, one of which a woman needs to be filled.

This brings us to our next intriguing situation. Opposite the double life of Sullivan is Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), who also is a member of the state police department. Unlike Sullivan, Costigan had the opportunity to take the straight and narrow path despite a highly criminally linked family background, and decides to go undercover as a mole in Castello’s gang in order to take him down. Because of his family history and an interestingly odd paternal obsession, but not until after a bit of torture of course, Castello takes Costigan under his wing. Once Costigan has proven he is not a cop, he quickly rises as an important and trusted member of the gang. But with this high position comes great danger. Every day he risks his life inside this mob full of murder, drugs and deceit, trying to find a way to bring it down; but somehow every time he has Castello right where he wants him, Castello slips away.

Living with the constant fear that the next hand that get’s put into a ziplock bag may be his, Costigan wracks his brain trying to comprehend why he has yet to nail Castello. He wants so badly to escape this hell that is now his life and to just be normal again. Anxiety levels through the roof and semi-suicidal, Costigan checks into therapy with a state counselor. Maybe it was love at first sight or maybe it was the empty space that both were looking to fill, but the two hit it off and begin to build a relationship. Once the relationship starts to move from professional to personal, Ms. Counselor lets him in on a little secret-she has a boyfriend (who unbeknownst to Costigan is…that’s right, Sullivan). Funny how these two men who are blindly fighting each other for completely opposite moral reasons fall for the same girl. Classic triangle.

Now, these slips that really starting becoming a pain in the rear for Costigan are, unknown to him, courtesy of his opposite Sullivan. Every time Costigan has an arrest set up, Sullivan quickly informs Castello and he goes free once more. Not only does Sullivan have the girl of his dreams, but he’s also screwing up the chance of Costigan ever getting out of this life. That’s one hell of an invisible enemy. Involved in the investigation as a detective, Sullivan is aware that there are undercover cops inside Castello’s gang but is not privy to the identity of these moles. Sullivan doesn’t even know he’s ruining Costigan’s life! Finally, the cancelling out of each other’s hard work comes to a bloody end when Castello is shot and the two meet face to face. You can watch for yourself to see how it ends…I hate spoilers.

Both of these men go through a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety to stay alive and keep their cover. To live with the constant fear of slipping up and someone finding out which side you’re really on, and being faced with the consequences of being brutally murdered and thrown in prison (my choice personally), takes a strong-willed and determined person no matter which side it’s for. Both actors portray this struggle brilliantly, making you feel that same knot in your own stomach and that same fear rising in your own throat.  In the end the real “rat” gets what’s coming to them and a certain symbolic vermin crawling along a balcony railing puts a perfect end to a phenomenal film.

The movie takes place in 1946 when a young, introverted banker, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), is sentenced to two lifetimes in Shawshank prison for the murder of his adulterous wife and her lover. Of course he pleads innocent, but how often do we really believe these people are actually innocent when all of the evidence is stacked against them? During his stay at Shawshank, Andy went through quite an ordeal: brutal beatings by fellow inmates, on and off again relationships with the warden and the guards, and one relationship that would last for a lifetime…maybe two.

Red (Morgan Freeman), a fellow inmate and soon to be lifelong friend, first sees Andy the day he joined the Shawshank gang, and actually made a bet that he would be the first to crack. Was he wrong! Their first real conversation convened when Red was approached by Andy who was inquiring about locating a rock hammer since Red was “a man who knew how to get things.” Little did Red know at the time that he just had just agreed to help Andy make his break. The friendship the two came to have is one for the books, and a movie in this case.

I know there is an underlying message about our penal and justice systems, but I’m not going there on this one. I want to talk about the characters and the emotions that were at play. I really love how this movie touches on personal determination, the strength of friendship and due justice. Did the warden get what he deserved? Some might say he did. Would Red have committed suicide had it not been for Andy’s foretelling of a tree in the middle of nowhere? I’m not so sure, but I like to think that it certainly helped. And was Andy a patient and clever man? Absolutely freaking yes! Convicted of a crime he did not commit, ignored and defeated when there was a chance at proving it, and the courage and inner-strength it took to conspire against the warden right under his nose and loose almost 19 years of sleepless nights tunneling his way out of his cell to crawl through 500 yards of human excrement (and who knows what else) to be free at last…what can you say. What a character. I would love to be in the head of Andy Dufresne. I think he is a fascinating character and possess qualities that we should all strive to achieve.

In the end, after all of the heartache and crap (literally) that Andy had to go through, he gets his freedom in Mexico and his best friend comes to join him. Love it. Of course I’m a sucker for letting the good guy win, but who isn’t?

So, I finally decided to write a blog. When this blog was first created it was for a PR class in college. We learned that blogs should be about something specific…a niche. But I never really found anything that I wanted to talk about within the realms of public relations, therefore leaving me to think that I just wasn’t a blogger. But then a year and a half later I finally have something that I want to write about, something I love talking about…movies.

When I had this epiphany I was talking to John-David (my boyfriend). I was saying how I wanted to do something cool and something of real accomplishment. I love watching movies and I always hear people talking about all of these classic movies that I’ve never seen and I would say “Man, I really need to watch that one someday.” While we were at Blockbuster, one of our ritualistic stops on Sundays, I saw this book at the counter, “1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.” I began to flip through and saw that it listed all of the classic films that I had been wanting to see, plus some I didn’t even know about.

I couldn’t stop talking about it all day and when I was trying to decided on whether or not to buy it, I had the idea of writing a blog about my experience watching down the list. I think this will be a cool thing to do because I’ll get the pleasure of watching all of the great movies, one of my favorite pastimes, and also I  get to seriously talk about and analyze the films in a way I truly like to do.

So here it goes. I went to Barnes & Noble and got the book. I’ll start my countdown through the 1001 movies you must see before you die and post after each viewing…all 1001 of them. Until then get relaxed, grab a snack and a drink, silence your phone and get ready to view your feature presentation. Too much?