The Shawshank Redemption is a highly acclaimed American drama film directed by Frank Darabont, based on the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King. The movie stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, a banker who is wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, and sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary. Inside the prison, Andy befriends fellow inmate Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), a lifer who has lost hope.