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RustyNails · Jan 2, 2013

Let me preface this by saying The Shawshank Redemption is a fantastic movie. The dialogues are perfect. Story is awesome, and the characters are strong. But let's get to the fun part. Andy Dufresne digs a tunnel from his prison wall in a span of 22 years with a small rockhammer.

How feasible is this? Also, shouldn't the prison guards be getting suspicious of small rock debris forming in their yard every day? Andy Dufresne gets rid of tunnel debris by taking the debris in his pants, walking in the yard and letting it loose.

I'd imagine that in 22 years that debris could have piled up huge. Anyways, from the tunnel, he drops onto what I think are iron sewer pipes. I could be wrong, but they look and sound metallic. He breaks a hole in that pipe with a rock after hitting it three times, and gets into it.

It's radius pretty much encapsulates Andy's body. Then he crawls through shit and stank for 500 yards. Holy shit. I'd die halfway through. If not from stink, then from lack of Oxygen. Am I wrong in this?

But in the end, it's worth it.

vas_a_morir · Jan 2, 2013

Better question: Was Andy really innocent?

Psychotext · Jan 2, 2013

I've read of similar escapes in the real world... just not all of the aspects together like in this movie.

entremet · Jan 2, 2013

vas_a_morir said:
Better question: Was Andy really innocent?

Wasn't it obvious he was? Haven't seen the movie in ages.

Solo · Jan 2, 2013

Best question: how badly was Pulp Fiction robbed?

Rocket Scientist · Jan 2, 2013

vas_a_morir said:
Better question: Was Andy really innocent?

Make a thread and let GAF decide whether it's a better question.

As for the OP's question, the sewage pipe thing was probably the most unrealistic thing as there are real life examples of prisoners dumping debris from their tunnels.

DeaconKnowledge · Jan 2, 2013

OMG SPOILERS!!!!!!!! How dare you!

Messypandas · Jan 2, 2013

.

Skellig Gra · Jan 2, 2013

I think the least realistic part is breaking the pipe with a rock. I guess it could have been corroded or old or something. As far as the rubble, you have to figure they cleaned the yard of the prison so that isn't a problem. As far as climbing through the sewer, there would be oxygen because the pipe flowed out in to the open at the end and he cracked a hole in it as well.

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 2, 2013

vas_a_morir said:
Better question: Was Andy really innocent?

The Warden believes it enough to have someone killed to stop Andy's release.

ElectricBlanketFire · Jan 2, 2013

While not entirely like the movie, yes:

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — Two jail inmates used photos of bikini-clad women to hide holes they used to escape and left behind a thank-you note, signed with a smiley face, for a guard they claimed helped them, officials said Monday.

Jose Espinosa, 20, and Otis Blunt, 32, squeezed through the openings sometime before dawn Saturday in a high-security unit of the Union County jail, jumped onto a rooftop below, and made it over a 25-foot-high fence topped with razor wire, authorities said.

Authorities withheld the name of the officer the inmates said was involved. The note, found in Espinosa's cell, read, "Thank you Officer ... for the tools needed. You're a real pal. Happy holidays."

CharlieDigital · Jan 2, 2013

RustyNails said:
I'd imagine that in 22 years that debris could have piled up huge. Anyways, from the tunnel, he drops onto what I think are iron sewer pipes. I could be wrong, but they look and sound metallic. He breaks a hole in that pipe with a rock after hitting it three times, and gets into it.

Cast iron is brittle and can be cracked with blunt force -- especially if it's old.

Sidewinder · Jan 2, 2013

Messypandas said:
.

:-D

The_Hitcher89 · Jan 2, 2013

Better question: Why doesn't Escape From Alcatraz get the love it deserves?

LakeEarth · Jan 2, 2013

Solo said:
Best question: how badly was Pulp Fiction robbed?

It was an amazing year for movies, though.

RustyNails · Jan 2, 2013

vas_a_morir said:
Better question: Was Andy really innocent?

Of course he was. That was proven in the movie. The real killer was Elmo Blatch, who Andy's protege Tommy Williams had met in a previous stint somewhere else. This is why Warden kills Tommy.

Messypandas · Jan 2, 2013

What if the sewage pipe had a grating at the end?

Rocket Scientist · Jan 2, 2013

Messypandas said:
What if the sewage pipe had a grating at the end?

lol they almost always do so in reality he'd be fucked.

Gozer the Gozerian · Jan 2, 2013

What if the pipe emptied into a pool full of piranhas?

dalyr95 · Jan 2, 2013

Hero_of_the_Day said:
The Warden believes it enough to have someone killed to stop Andy's release.

That's the stupidest reply I've ever heard. The reason he had him killed was to keep Andy cooking the books and making him a fortune, not because he thought he was a murderer.

(Plus in prison he couldn't snitch to the authorities)

Apoc29 · Jan 2, 2013

ElectricBlanketFire said:
While not entirely like the movie, yes:

I was going to say it was less likely that there would be no slip-up and no one would notice the hole, but damn.

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 2, 2013

dalyr95 said:
That's the stupidest reply I've ever heard. The reason he had him killed was to keep Andy cooking the books and making him a fortune, not because he thought he was a murderer.

(Plus in prison he couldn't snitch to the authorities)

I'm not sure what you're saying here. The Warden has Tommy killed because he says he's willing to testify that his old cell mate confessed to the murders that Andy is in prison for. Andy is innocent.

ElectricBlanketFire · Jan 2, 2013

Messypandas said:
What if the sewage pipe had a grating at the end?

How could you be so obtuse?

Count Dookkake · Jan 2, 2013

Solo said:
Best question: how badly was Pulp Fiction robbed?

.

Gozer the Gozerian · Jan 2, 2013

vas_a_morir said:
I've also always wondered: was Andy really innocent?

In the unreleased sequel he and Red went on a violent killing spree all over Mexico

Bubble Metropolis · Jan 2, 2013

vas_a_morir said:
He's just lucky he didn't get moved to another cell, which happens all the time. The fact he stayed in the same place so long with posters untouched is the unlikely part.

Touched upon in the movie. Warden threatens to remove Andy from that 'one-bunk Hilton' and 'cast you down with the sodomites.'

TrumanBurbank · Jan 2, 2013

Solo said:
Best question: how badly was Pulp Fiction robbed?

Who gives a damn about the Oscars...really.

Fenderputty · Jan 2, 2013

Drainage pipes aren't rated for pressure. They’re made of brittle cast iron and not a stronger materials like carbon steel. Cast iron could potentially break like that if the pipes were older and corroded. I’ve dropped cast iron pipe from waist height and watched is break under its own weight. That being said … those were some thick drainage pipes so …

Shawshank is probably a top 10 movie for me. Everytime it's on TV I stop. Doesn't matter where in the movie either.

EDIT: I see I was beaten regarding the cast iron. heh.

Messypandas · Jan 2, 2013

ElectricBlanketFire said:
How could you be so obtuse?

Son, you're forgetting yourself.

Gozer the Gozerian said:
In the unreleased sequel he and Red went on a violent killing spree all over Mexico

The Shawshank Revengeance

Shawshank is an unashamedly uplifting, feelgood film done right. A lot of people hate it for that sole reason. I think it works incredibly to its advantage

The Elite · Jan 2, 2013

Considering how little rock he was dumping in the yard everyday I imagine no one would notice.

Like someone mentioned above, it's surprising he never had to switch cells. He would be fucked.

Grym · Jan 2, 2013

How did Andy hang the poster back up attached to the cell wall so nice, neat, straight, and undamaged from inside a hole he could not turn around in? His feet have some amazing dexterity and flexibility!!

lolmark · Jan 2, 2013

The only thing Andy was guilty of was not loving his wife enough. And breaking out of prison, and money laundering...

John Dunbar · Jan 2, 2013

RustyNails said:
Of course he was. That was proven in the movie. The real killer was Elmo Blatch, who Andy's protege Tommy Williams had met in a previous stint somewhere else. This is why Warden kills Tommy.

The only thing we know about Elmo was that he liked to talk a lot, according to Tommy. Prisons always have people bragging about shit. If just a part of his story was true (working at a country club), he would have most definitely been aware of the murders, and that Andy was convicted while saying he was innocent. So then a kid (Tommy) asks him who he has killed, and he decides to take credit for it.

Andy was guilty. There's no redemption if he was innocent all along.

itwasTuesday · Jan 2, 2013

When did the man sleep?

snack · Jan 2, 2013

I watched the movie for the first times at year because a co-worker of mine recommended it. Wow, fuck me sideways because it was honestly one of the best movies I've ever seen.

CharlieDigital · Jan 2, 2013

Fenderputty said:
Drainage pipes aren't rated for pressure. Theyre made of brittle cast iron and not a stronger materials like carbon steel. Cast iron could potentially break like that if the pipes were older and corroded. Ive dropped cast iron pipe from waist height and watched is break under its own weight. That being said those were some thick drainage pipes so

Shawshank is probably a top 10 movie for me. Everytime it's on TV I stop. Doesn't matter where in the movie either.

EDIT: I see I was beaten regarding the cast iron. heh.

Heh. My experience is from breaking apart old cast iron bath tubs. It's the only way to get them out and they're pretty easy to break apart with a hammer.

Count Dookkake · Jan 2, 2013

TrumanBurbank said:
Who gives a damn about the Oscars...really.

To be fair, that was the year I realized they were bogus.

Also, that was 18 years ago.

Messypandas · Jan 2, 2013

Grym said:
How did Andy hang the poster back up attached to the cell wall so nice, neat, straight, and undamaged from inside a hole he could not turn around in? His feet have some amazing dexterity and flexibility!!

I'm guessing the poster was just stuck at the top and the governer threw the stone with such velocity it went cleanly through. The poster was just paper as well

Grym · Jan 2, 2013

Messypandas said:
I'm guessing the poster was just stuck at the top and the governer threw the stone with such velocity it went cleanly through. The poster was just paper as well

Nah..you can tell it was attached at all four corners when he sticks his arm through it. The bottom (what should have been unattached in that scenario and what would have been logical) stays in place instead of bunching up from the force

poppabk · Jan 2, 2013

The rock he was leaving would have slowly degraded in the elements, so I doubt it would have been obvious. The fact that his cell never got searched properly in all that time is the most unlikely part, but he was considered the wardens lap dog so that explains how it might be at least possible.

CharlieDigital · Jan 2, 2013

Grym said:
How did Andy hang the poster back up attached to the cell wall so nice, neat, straight, and undamaged from inside a hole he could not turn around in? His feet have some amazing dexterity and flexibility!!

My guess is chewing gum.

poppabk · Jan 2, 2013

Grym said:
Nah..you can tell it was attached at all four corners when he sticks his arm through it. The bottom (what should have been unattached in that scenario and what would have been logical) stays in place instead of bunching up from the force

That's just poetic license though, because the visual looks better, with him inserting his arm into the wall.

Borgnine · Jan 2, 2013

Wait, where did he get the rock that he smashed the pipe with?

ElectricBlanketFire · Jan 2, 2013

Borgnine said:
Wait, where did he get the rock that he smashed the pipe with?

He knew a man who could get him things.

Hiltz · Jan 2, 2013

Yeah, the guards failing to do a thorough inspection of Andy's cell was ridiculous. For all they knew, Andy could have been hiding a razor blade attached to the back of the poster with some tape. I guess the warden didn't even put any other inmate into Andy's cell during his time in the hole.

AlimNassor · Jan 2, 2013

1. It wasn't modern day, far less security.
2. He was the Wardens lapdog and pretty much lived like a king

ElectricBlue187 · Jan 2, 2013

poppabk said:
The rock he was leaving would have slowly degraded in the elements, so I doubt it would have been obvious. The fact that his cell never got searched properly in all that time is the most unlikely part, but he was considered the wardens lap dog so that explains how it might be at least possible.

Yeah it seems unlikely but possible.
The less possible part to me is the small rock hammer not wearing down to a nub.

Borgnine · Jan 2, 2013

ElectricBlanketFire said:
He knew a man who could get him things.

Why not ask for a tool that cuts pipes? Or a jet pack or three more wishes?

justjohn · Jan 2, 2013

Lol imagine digging for like 20yrs and then get moved to another cell where he has to start all over again.

ElectricBlanketFire · Jan 2, 2013

Borgnine said:
Why not ask for a tool that cuts pipes? Or a jet pack or three more wishes?

Well it's not like he'd have those things stuffed down the front of his pants...

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