Check Out the Trailer

Frank Darabont’s Oscar nominated THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION barely recouped its production budget when released in theaters in 1994. But anyone who went to see it quickly knew they were witnessing something special. Based on a Stephen King short story, the prison drama chronicles long-term prisoners and how incarceration changes them. One particular prisoner desperately hangs onto hope, while another says that in jail, hope can be a dangerous thing.

The optimistic prisoner is Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins, BULL DURHAM), a banker on the outside who was convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. He claims that he’s innocent, but no one believes him, because everyone is innocent in prison. Red (Morgan Freeman, GLORY) is a vet of the prison, having been convicted of murder at a young age when a robbery went wrong. He’s the man inside who can get you things, like cigarettes, posters of Rita Hayworth, or gem hammers. The warden, Norton (Bob Gunton, THE PERFECT STORM), discovers that having a smart banker in his control can be very beneficial when you need bribes laundered. Keeping Andy in fear equally are the rapist prisoner Bogs Diamond (Mark Rolston, RUSH HOUR) and the equally sadistic guard Capt. Hadley (Clancy Brown, TV’s CARNIVALE).

Read the rest of this entry »