Original Release Date
October 14, 1994
Rotten Tomatoes
91%
Letterboxd Score
4.5/5
Official Synopsis
In 1947, banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and is sentenced to two consecutive life terms at the brutal Shawshank State Penitentiary. Over the next two decades, he forms a deep bond with Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), the prison's contraband smuggler. Through patience, intellect, and an unbreakable spirit, Andy navigates the corruption and violence of prison life, eventually discovering that "hope is a dangerous thing," but it is the only thing that can set a man free. Based on Stephen King's novella.
The Inmates & Guards
- Tim Robbins: Andy Dufresne
- Morgan Freeman: Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding
- Bob Gunton: Warden Samuel Norton
- William Sadler: Heywood
- Clancy Brown: Captain Byron Hadley
- James Whitmore: Brooks Hatlen
The Architects
- Director: Frank Darabont
- Writer: Frank Darabont (based on Stephen King)
- Cinematography: Roger Deakins
- Music: Thomas Newman
- Editing: Richard Francis-Bruce
The Official Trailer
The Accolades
- 🏆 Academy Award Nominee: Best Picture, Actor (Freeman), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Original Score, and Sound.
- 📽️ IMDb Legacy: Consistently ranked as the #1 movie of all time by users.
- 🏛️ National Film Registry: Selected for preservation in 2015.
Vault Intelligence
- The mugshot of a young Red in his parole file is actually a photograph of Morgan Freeman's son, Alfonso Freeman.
- The "sludge" Andy crawls through in the iconic escape scene was actually a mixture of water, chocolate syrup, and sawdust.
- Stephen King sold the rights to the novella to Frank Darabont for just $1, but he never actually cashed the check, eventually framing it and sending it back to Darabont.
Film Specifications
| Financial Backing | $25 Million Budget |
| Theatrical Earnings | $73.3 Million (Lifetime Gross) |
| Primary Location | Mansfield, Ohio (Ohio State Reformatory) |
| Cinematic Format | 35mm / 1.85:1 Spherical |
Retrospective Pending
"Ray’s full 2026 Northstar analysis for this enduring classic is currently being restored from the vault."
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Masterpiece of Hope
