Completely Misunderstood Storyline

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 2018)

The plot line here is a complete adaptation of "The Count of Monty Cristo," by Alexander Dumas. You're even told that in the middle of the movie, in case you hadn't noticed the parallels.
A man is falsely accused of a crime, and, unable to prove his innocence, is sentenced to life in prison. There, after some time, he makes a friend who teaches him how to stay sane and how to escape. It takes Edmund Dantes 20 years to dig his way out of the ChÃ¢teau d'if, but as soon as he escapes, he collects a secret treasure that's been stashed away. He uses the money first to buy revenge, then to buy freedom.
Andy Dufresne, similarly imprisoned unfairly, tumbles his way to freedom over 20 years. He "finds" the fortune that he helped the warden amass, and gets his revenge on both the prison guard Hadley and warden Norton. He then takes his wealth and buys the freedom and comfort he had dreamed about.
For those who might disagree that this is the "real' story line, why else was the Count of Monte Cristo the only library book book mentioned by name throughout the movie, and the only book out of hundreds when the library donation is first received to be singled out. Andy even says that it's a story about a prison escape.
And, as was Edmund Dantes, I wouldn't say that Andy Dufresne found redemption; he found what he was looking for: justice.