10 Time We Absolutely Believed The Movie Hero Was A Goner

Stephen King may be known for a lot of things, but he's never had a reputation for happy endings. Even though The Shawshank Redemption has one of the most uplifting climaxes in cinema, we all assumed, in typical King fashion, it would end tragically.

The story follows Andy Dufresne after he's unfairly given a life sentence in Shawshank State Prison. At first, he has difficulty adjusting to prison life, but things turn around after he befriends Warden Norton. But after he insults the warden, Norton locks Dufresne in The Hole.

After a month in solitary confinement, Dufresne becomes a shell of what he once was. To ensure he doesn't get out of line again, Norton enters his cell, threatening to destroy everything Dufresne holds sacred. And when Norton orders the guard to give Dufresne an extra month in The Hole, you can pinpoint the moment his spirit shatters.

When Dufresne returns to gen pop, Red believes his friend has reached his breaking point. When he learns Dufresne has asked inmates for a 6ft long rope, it looks like he has completely given up.

So, when he didn’t appear for his morning call, all viewers felt their heart sink, certain the guards would walk into his cell to find Dufresne's body hanging from a noose.

But the film pulls the rug out from under us, revealing Dufresne had escaped from prison and publicly released evidence of Norton's corruption, which leads to his suicide. Even though we all cheered to see Dufresne as a free man, what made it more satisfying is the fact we were certain he had abandoned all hope.