The Shawshank Redemption

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, The Shawshank Redemption is available in Australia on HBO Max, and in the US on Philo right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 30,785 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Tim Robbins's performance alone is worth the time investment. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on HBO Max.

There is a reason The Shawshank Redemption keeps coming up in conversation. The plotting gives The Shawshank Redemption its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. 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. Credit to Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman for grounding it — this is a cast that earns the twists. The Shawshank Redemption came out in 1994. The Shawshank Redemption is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. This is the rare one where the reputation undersells the reality.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find The Shawshank Redemption proves them wrong. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Tim Robbins anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.