The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption

Star Cast                    -             Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Mark Rolston, Clancy Brown, Bob Gunton, James Whitmore

Director                         -             Frank Darabont

Producer                        -             Niki Marvin

Rating                            -             A/U

Year of Release              -            1994

Category                         -            Hollywood

Genre                             -            Drama

Movie Gist

Andy with Rita Hayworth's poster

This drama movie is about a banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) convicted of double murder – his wife & her lover. In 1947, Andy is

Andy & Red share a happy moment

sentenced two back-to-back life sentences at the Shawshank State Penitentiary. The prison has a barbarous chief guard, Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown). Andy works in the prison laundry. He soon becomes friends with a smuggler Ellis Redding aka Red (Morgan Freeman) who is also convicted of a murder & is serving a life sentence. Red gets a rock hammer for Andy to create chess pieces of small stone. Later on, Red gets a huge poster of an actress – Rita Hayworth for Andy. Red also gets posters of Marilyn Monroe & Raquel Welch in the later years. 

Andy assaulted by The Sisters

Brooks Hatlen, the prison librarian

Andy gets sexually assaulted by a gang – The Sisters; Bogs (Mark Rolston) is the leader. In 1949, Andy informs Hadley of the financial loopholes when he overhears the chief guard (Hadley) complaining of the taxes. Another assault by The Sisters almost kills Andy. Bogs gets beaten up by Hadley & is sent to another prison. Andy feels safe. Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton), the warden, removes him from the laundry duties & assigns him to assist an elderly convict Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore) in the prison library which is  a guise to

Prisoners listening to the music recording

The prison's dining hall

manage the financial responsibilities of the prison. His financial expertise is soon sought for by the other guards at the Shawshank prison as well as other nearby prisons. Andy starts writing letters to the State Government for providing funds in order to improve the rickety prison library. Brooks is released on word ofhonor in 1954. But Brooks found difficulty in adjusting himself with the world outside after being in the prison for 50years; so he hanged himself. Meanwhile, Andy receives a donation for the prison library & a recording along with it. He plays the recording on the public

Tommy Williams

addressal system; & receives a solitary subjugation. Samuel starts exploiting the prisoners for public works; hence profiting through skilled labor at lower wages. He seeks Andy’s help in clearing out the money using a fake name – Randall Stephens.

Tommy Williams (Gil Bellows) is imprisoned in 1965 for robbery. He joins Andy & Red.    Andy helps him clear his exams for General Educational Development. In 1966, Tommy unwraps that a convict holds himself responsible for a similar murder like Andy’s, hence advising Andy’s innocence. Andy confronts this to Samuel, but he pays no heed to Andy. Samuel puts Andy into a solitary subjugation & gets

Red, Norton & Hadley find a tunnel
in Andy's cell

Tommy murdered by Hadley under an argument that Tommy tried to escape. Andy refuses to help Samuel in the scam, but Norton threatens him.

Andy after escaping from the prison -
Feeling independent

The next day after Andy is released from the solitary subjugation, Andy is found missing from his cell. When Samuel throws a stone at Raquel Welch’s poster, the stone tears through it & the truth is revealed. Andy has been digging a tunnel for the past 2 decades in the prison. Andy escaped through the prison’s sewage pipe taking along Samuel’s ledger. Andy poses himself as Randall Stephens & withdraws all the money. Andy exposes Samuel & Hadley. Hadley gets arrested & Samuel commits suicide.

Red is happy seeing Andy

Andy & Red finally meet in the
Mexican Pacific Coastal town

Red receives a word of honor after serving 40 years of imprisonment. Andy & Red finally re-unite at the Mexican Pacific Coastal town, where Andy always wanted to be.