The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
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.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 23 September 1994 |
| Genre | Drama, Crime |
| Director | Frank Darabont |
| Starring | Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman and Bob Gunton |
| Runtime | 142 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze 95% · Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.0/10 · MovieMeter 4,42/5 · JustWatch 99/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 89% · Metacritic 82/100 · IMDb 9.3/10 · TMDB users 8.7/10 |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $29 million worldwide |
Where to watch The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is streaming on Fubo in the US.
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What kind of watch this is
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 crime drama that runs 142 minutes. It is a slow burn about patience, not an action movie. You spend most of the runtime watching a banker survive, which can feel like a test of your own endurance. It is for people who believe the ending is worth the wait, or who simply enjoy the sound of a rock being chipped away.
What the critics said
Critics received The Shawshank Redemption with broad approval, though not without caveats. Rotten Tomatoes recorded an 89% Tomatometer score as of September 2025, while Metacritic assigned it a 82/100 Metascore. The consensus praised the performances, particularly Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of Red. Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gleiberman described Freeman’s character as feeling "lived-in." However, The New York Times’ Janet Maslin noted that Red’s role had limited range, restricted to observing Andy. Despite this, the film’s gentle storytelling and crisp direction secured its place among well-received prison dramas, earning an "A" average from CinemaScore audiences.
How it did with audiences
A $25 million budget against $29 million in global receipts is a slim margin. Audiences, however, had other plans. They rated it 8.7 on TMDB, a user score that suggests the film found its life not in the initial box office, but in the years after the credits rolled. The money was modest. The reputation was not.
What came next for the cast
Morgan Freeman landed in Se7en the following year. Tim Robbins moved from the gritty Jacob's Ladder to the blockbuster War of the Worlds. Bob Gunton shifted from Demolition Man to Argo, a jump from sci-fi action to political thriller that feels like a different film industry. These shifts trace a path, but the sequence does not prove causation. The timeline shows where they went, not why.
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TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Shawshank Redemption.
Sources
- The Shawshank Redemption on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q172241 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Shawshank Redemption” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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