The Shawshank Redemption
Movie, 1994, The '90s, Set in Shawshank State Prison
The Shawshank Redemption is #16 of 42 in release order and #9 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
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 recap
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) follows banker Andy Dufresne, sentenced to life in Maine's Shawshank State Prison in 1947 for murdering his wife and her lover. Frank Darabont directs Tim Robbins as Andy and Morgan Freeman as Ellis "Red" Redding, who narrates and can get anything smuggled inside. Andy survives beatings by the Sisters, earns favour with brutal guard captain Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown) by advising him on tax, and becomes the private accountant of Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton), laundering his kickbacks. He builds up the prison library and asks Red for a rock hammer and a poster of Rita Hayworth. Elderly inmate Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore) is paroled after 50 years and hangs himself on the outside. Young inmate Tommy Williams (Gil Bellows) knows who really killed Andy's wife, but Norton has him shot to keep Andy working for him. Andy tells Red about Zihuatanejo, a town on the Pacific coast.
The Shawshank Redemption ending explained
The Shawshank Redemption ends with Andy and Red reunited on a Mexican beach. Andy escapes through a tunnel hidden behind his poster, crawls through a sewer pipe and walks out free, then withdraws Norton's laundered money under a false identity and sends evidence to the press. Hadley is arrested and Norton shoots himself. Red is paroled, finds the money Andy buried for him in Buxton, and breaks parole to join him in Zihuatanejo. The novella ends with Red on the bus, only hoping.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Shawshank Redemption has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is streaming on TNT, TBS, and tru TV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 9.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 89%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Needful Things, before The Stand.
- Chronological order: after Misery, before Dolores Claiborne.
What to watch before The Shawshank Redemption
In release order, 8 Stephen King Universe essentials come before The Shawshank Redemption (1994), from Carrie (1976) to Misery (1990).
Cast
- Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne
- Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding
- Bob Gunton as Warden Norton
- William Sadler as Heywood
- Clancy Brown as Captain Byron T. Hadley
- Gil Bellows as Tommy
- James Whitmore as Brooks Hatlen
- Mark Rolston as Bogs Diamond
- Jeffrey DeMunn as 1946 D.A.
- Larry Brandenburg as Skeet
- Neil Giuntoli as Jigger
- Brian Libby as Floyd
Directed by Frank Darabont.