Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

The Shawshank Redemption poster

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

★ 8.7/10 September 23, 1994 142 min

CrimeDrama

Director: Frank Darabont  ·  Writer: Frank Darabont

Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

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Trailer

Director

Frank Darabont Frank Darabont

Cast

Tim Robbins Tim Robbins Andy Dufresne Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding Bob Gunton Bob Gunton Warden Norton William Sadler William Sadler Heywood Clancy Brown Clancy Brown Captain Byron T. Hadley Gil Bellows Gil Bellows Tommy James Whitmore James Whitmore Brooks Hatlen Mark Rolston Mark Rolston Bogs Diamond Jeffrey DeMunn Jeffrey DeMunn 1946 D.A. Larry Brandenburg Larry Brandenburg Skeet Neil Giuntoli Neil Giuntoli Jigger Brian Libby Brian Libby Floyd

User Reviews (8)

elshaarawy
elshaarawy April 29, 2016
★ 9/10

very good movie 9.5/10 محمد الشعراوى

John Chard
John Chard July 10, 2016
★ 10/10

Some birds aren't meant to be caged. The Shawshank Redemption is written and directed by Frank Darabont. It is an adaptation of the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, the film portrays the story of Andy Dufresne (Robbins), a banker who is sentenced to two life sentences at Shawshank State Prison for apparently murdering his wife and her lover. Andy finds it tough going but finds solace in the friendship he forms with fellow inmate Ellis "Red" Redding (Freeman). While things start to pick up when the warden finds Andy a prison job more befitting his talents as a banker. However, the arrival of another inmate is going to vastly change things for all of them. There was no fanfare or bunting put out for the release of the film back in 94, with a title that didn't give much inkling to anyone about what it was about, and …

tmdb73913433
tmdb73913433 November 11, 2017
★ 6/10

Make way for the best film ever made people. **Make way.**

thommo_nz
thommo_nz May 1, 2018
★ 10/10

There is a reason why this movie is at the top of any popular list your will find. Very strong performances from lead actors and a story line from the literary brilliance of Stephen King (and no, its not a horror). Sufficient drama and depth to keep you interested and occupied without stupefying your brain. It is the movie that has something for everyone.

Andrew Gentry
Andrew Gentry October 18, 2018

It's still puzzling to me why this movie exactly continues to appear in every single best-movies-of-all-time chart. There's a great story, perfect cast, and acting. It really moves me in times when I'm finding myself figuring out things with my annual tax routine reading this article, and accidentally catching myself wondering what my life should be if circumstances had changed so drastically. This movie worth a rewatch by all means, but yet, there's no unique vibe or something - there are thousands of other ones as good as this one.

Matthew Dixon
Matthew Dixon July 30, 2019

I will not say that the film is predictable, because it is not quite so, due to the fact that we only know Andy’s intentions at the end, and during the film, it is important to understand that there was not a hint of it, but let's not forget our guys who so imprudently localized it. I will not be the first, but the word 'redemption' is translated as 'redemption'. I don’t know the reason why our localizers decided to spoil the impression to all Russian-speaking people.

JPV852
JPV852 September 18, 2021
★ 10/10

First time seeing this in probably close to 20 years, maybe longer. Forgot how excellent of a movie this was, amazing all around from the performances, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins especially, with a roller coaster of emotions. The writing (from Stephen King's novel) direction from Frank Darabont was precise and just all around fantastic. This is the very rare 5 star movies I've given but it is easily one of the best movies, right up there in my book with The Godfather. **5.0/5**

LƛȤƛƦꪡƬƑ
LƛȤƛƦꪡƬƑ January 14, 2023

No 1 movie for all the time