The Next Three Days and Shawshank Redemption

The Next Three Days and Shawshank Redemption

            Steven Kings’ seven times nominated, Shawshank Redemption focuses on Andy a man convicted of killing his wife and her lover. While in The Next Three Days , Laura is convicted of killing her boss. Both persons share the possibility that they are innocent. Also they are both given extreme punishments, Andy ends up with two life sentences, Laura in prison. Both characters suffer harshly, and seem to change. Andy watches an inmate die, from police brutality, Laura’s relationship with her son diminishes.

 In both films the audience is not sure of their innocence. In Andy’s case, we are not sure if he is innocent because of his strange character, with Laura it is the same, she even asks her husband if he ever thought she might be guilty. Both characters display a cold attitude, after being contained, only adding to the suspicion of whether or not they are guilty.  When it comes down to the escape process, this is important in both films. In The Next Three Days, Laura’s husband meets with a man who has escaped numerous times, and helps him devise a sure fire plan, but he must be able to carry the persona of a criminal in order to accomplish it. In  Shawshank Redemption Andy goes to Red, and Red unwittingly gives him the contraband to complete his thought out plan of escape, a rock hammer. A difference between the two is that it is Laura’s husbands’ job to ensure the plans’ success; she even attempts suicide as they are about to fore go picking up their son. In Andy’s case, he is responsible for his successful escape. He was able to leave and stay concealed, while Laura and her husband were chased by the cops,they still managed to escape. This is also a major difference, because Andy, was hopeful he took joy in finding freedom. He was able to find a classical record, while in the warden’s office, he locks himself in the room and plays the record for all the inmates to enjoy as well. While Laura seems to just accept that she will never again be happy, as she makes her first attempt at suicide in prison.

            The audience is given the answers to both characters question of innonce at the end of the films. In Laura’s situation, she claimed that a homeless woman bumped into her jacket, even ripping off one of her buttons, explaining the blood stain. We see two detectives who have become intrigued with this story, as one plays the scenario out in his head he then tries searching for the button in a gutter. We see the button, but he fails to look hard enough, the audience has just been notified of Laura’s innocence. With Andy, he finally confesses to Red that he did not kill his wife, but that his lack of personality drove her away, leading to the affair, leading to her death. So ultimately Andy takes the blame, but is innocent.