SimilarScreen
The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption

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

19948.72h 22m

Overview

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.

Directed by Frank Darabont
Written by Frank Darabont, Stephen King
Produced by Niki Marvin
Box OfficeBudget: $25.0MRevenue: $28.3M

Top 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

Themes & Keywords

prisonfriendshippolice brutalitycorruptionbased on novel or bookfreedomhopeprison celldelinquentredemptionparole boardprison escapewrongful imprisonmentinterracial friendshipframed for murder1940sthoughtfulvoiceoverexcited

About The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is a drama, crime film released in 1994 exploring themes of prison, friendship, police brutality, corruption, based on novel or book, freedom. Directed by Frank Darabont, it stars Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton. 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.

Movies Similar to The Shawshank Redemption

Discover titles like The Shawshank Redemption — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to The Shawshank Redemption

If you enjoyed The Shawshank Redemption, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of The Shawshank Redemption.

GoodFellas
27% Match

GoodFellas(1990)

Movie8.5/10

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

South Central
27% Match

During a 10-year sentence for murdering the leader of a rival South Central Los Angeles gang, Bobby Johnson finds religion and rehabilitation with the help of Muslim inmate Ali. Upon his release, Bobby returns home to find that his young son, Jimmie, has joined the Deuces, his old crew. Tensions rise as Bobby struggles to convince Jimmie to leave the gang that was his only family during the painful years his absent father spent behind bars.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
24% Match

Terrence McDonagh is a New Orleans Police sergeant, who receives a medal and a promotion to lieutenant for heroism during Hurricane Katrina. Due to his heroic act, McDonagh injures his back and becomes addicted to prescription pain medication. He then finds himself involved with a drug dealer who is suspected of murdering a family of African immigrants.

American History X
24% Match

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.

Chopper
24% Match

Chopper(2000)

Movie6.8/10

The true and infamous story of Australia's notorious criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read and his years of crime, interest in violence, drugs and prostitutes.

Cool Hand Luke
24% Match

When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers.

Papillon
24% Match

Papillon(1973)

Movie7.8/10

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

The Godfather
24% Match

Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.

The Valachi Papers
23% Match

When Joe Valachi has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese, he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat puts him over the edge to break the sacred code of silence.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
22% Match

After seven months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.