MovieChat Forums > The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Discussion > The escape

The escape

posted 8 years ago by drjude518
27 replies | jump to latest

As much as I love this movie I can't shake the implausibility of Andy's escape; cracking open the water main with a rock, a highly fortuitous thunder storm the night of his escape so he could mask the blows of the rock with,peals of thunder, coolly appearing the next day in 12 banks around Portland cleaning out the phony accounts. It's so beautiful but unbelievable. Has anyone read the book and can they add to the storyline to flesh it out for me?

I intend to live forever. So far so good.

[–] lathasrijani 8 years ago

this day I'm still wondering how this masterpiece didn't win a single Oscar.

[–] kenjiros14 8 years ago

or why his defense attorney allowed him to get on the stand. Or why they didn't bother to test for powder burn on his hand from having recently fired a weapon.

[–] drjude518 8 years ago

It was the 40s I believe.
Justice was still in its infancy, I suppose. (haha)

I intend to live forever. So far so good.

[–] Saenzwa9 (453) 5 years ago

Andy meticulously panned his escape. It was probably weeks or months from the time he finished the tunnel to the time of his escape. I'm sure he examined the pipe and figured out what he needed to do, he probably studied maps of the infrastructure and the pipes exit location to proximity of downtown Portland. He decided he wanted to do it during a big thunderstorm for 2 reasons. He need the thunder to mask the rocks blows against the pipe, and he needed rain for a shower otherwise he would be showing up at the banks smelling like crap. The storm wasn't conveniently happening the night he escaped, it was there because it was suppose to be there

[–] PaladinNJ (20328) 4 years ago

That's the way I see it.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

The thing I find most amazing about the escape is that his tunnel behind the poster in his cell actually leads somewhere other than the cell next door , and that it was never discovered in the 30 years he was digging it , and most of all - he was never moved to a new cell in that time.

[–] jekporkins (1927) 5 years ago

The not moving cells for 30 years seemed the oddest to me. I would have to think there would be constant moving, especially considering he was so important to the warden that they would want him very close to the guards and that he also was in solitary for times on end.

[–] strntz (10925) 5 years ago

The warden didn't need to have his physical cell anywhere near the office. Andy went to the warden's office, not the other way around (except the first time when they tossed his cell to check him out).

Andy had the rock hammer for some time before he discovered the cell walls were decaying. IIRC, he didn't start tunneling until after he was in the guard's and warden's good graces. At that point, out of consideration for his financial advice and paperwork, he was allowed to keep his "one-bunk Hilton" room.

But yeah, 20 years in once cell would be extraordinarily unusual for sure.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

"Andy had the rock hammer for some time before he discovered the cell walls were decaying. IIRC, he didn't start tunneling until after he was in the guard's and warden's good graces."

When the warden floated his way he already had the poster of Rita on the wall ("I can't say I approve of that but exceptions can be made" -The Warden on seeing the poster). And Andy was watching the warden with his bible because the hammer was hidden inside. So his tunneling had already begun.

I'm wondering if the staff of the prison really did see his cell as better than others for some reason. Being at the end of the block means he'd have less noise for one. Maybe they did feel it was somehow favorable treatment to keep Andy happy. I really don't know that much about prison life.

[–] strntz (10925) 5 years ago

When the warden floated his way he already had the poster of Rita on the wall ("I can't say I approve of that but accessions can be made" -The Warden on seeing the poster). And Andy was watching the warden with his bible because the hammer was hidden inside. So his tunneling had already begun.

Yep. Ashamed for not remembering that! But in my defense, I've not only watched this movie dozens of times, I've probably watched it in sections on TV while channel surfing during ballgame commercials a hundred times or more, so I see it out of order a lot.

As far as the cell, being on the second floor would make it warmer in the winter and summer, but since they were in Maine, maybe the second floor was better. In any case, just letting keep *any* cell without constantly moving him from his "home" might be a perk.

Like you, I also know zip about prison life. :)

[–] ATG6 (3000) 5 years ago

He escapes? Where's the spoiler alert?!