Coverage:

Morgan Freeman, who narrates throughout the movie, plays a convicted murderer who befriends icy banker, Tim Robbins, sent to Shawshank prison for the double murder of his wife and her lover.      Freeman, who says he's been in Shawshank so long that he's institutionalized, teaches Robbins how to survive behind prison walls. Shawshank is a realistic period piece, painting a chilling picture of prison life in the '40s to the early '60s.      On the whole, the movie does not fall into the usual prison movie clichés (okay, there are a few.), but it's more of a moving story dealing with hope, final acceptance of one's limitations and the human heart.