The Shawshank Redemption
1994 | 142 min | Drama, Crime
Why it’s a Friday Night Flick
Audiences adore it (8.7/10), people are still talking about it, it earned strong reviews (89%) and it drew serious awards attention. Make plans for this one.
Our take: A box-office disappointment that became one of the most beloved films ever through word of mouth and cable reruns. Patient, hopeful, and built to reward the full two and a half hours.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Have you seen it?
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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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
89% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82 on Metacritic
- AudiencesVery strong
8.7/10 from 32K viewers, plus 1 MMM member rating
- AwardsStrong
2 wins, 7 other nominations — nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture; nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$28 million worldwide on a $25 million budget
- Buzz & cultural impactVery strong
2.2 million Wikipedia readers in the past year
Where to watch in US
MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel
TNT
TBS
tru TVRent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
Trailer
Cast & crew
Directed by Frank Darabont
- Tim RobbinsAndy Dufresne
- Morgan FreemanEllis Boyd 'Red' Redding
- Bob GuntonWarden Norton
- William SadlerHeywood
- Clancy BrownCaptain Byron T. Hadley
- Gil BellowsTommy
- James WhitmoreBrooks Hatlen
- Mark RolstonBogs Diamond
- Jeffrey DeMunn1946 D.A.
- Larry BrandenburgSkeet