Great dialogue is simply a given in The Shawshank Redemption screenplay written by Frank Darabont. In today’s post we dive into one scene in particular, one that is perfect for the study of building danger in a scene.
The Scene
At this point in the story, Warden Norton needs a few men to resurface the roof of the license-place factory and thanks to Red, his friends are picked for the job.
I will not add the entire scene here as we are mostly interested in the second part, when Andy Dufresne interrupts Byron Hadley’s tirade on the injustices bestowed upon him after inheriting thirty five thousand dollars, such as the taxes he will have to pay to the government.
EXT — LICENSE PLATE FACTORY — DAY (1949)
[…]
Red glances over — and is shocked to see Andy standing up, listening to the guards talk.
RED (CONT’D)
Hey, you nuts? Keep your eyes on your pail!
Andy tosses his Padd in the bucket and strolls toward Hadley.
RED (CONT’D)
Andy! Come back! Shit!
SNOOZE
What’s he doing?
FLOYD
Gettin’ himself killed.
RED
God damn it…
HEYWOOD
Just keep spreadin’ tar…
The guards stiffen at Andy’s approach. Youngblood’s hand goes to his holster. The tower guards CLICK-CLACK their rifle bolts. Hadley turns, stupefied to find Andy there.
ANDY
Mr. Hadley. Do you trust your wife?
HADLEY
That’s funny. You’re gonna look funnier suckin’ my dick with no fuckin’ teeth.
ANDY
What I mean is, do you think she’d go behind your back? Try to hamstring you?
HADLEY
That’s it! Step aside, Mert. This fucker’s havin’ hisself an accident.
Hadley grabs Andy’s collar and propels him violently toward the edge of the roof. The cons furiously keep spreading tar.
HEYWOOD
Oh God, he’s gonna do it, he’s gonna throw him off the roof…
SNOOZE
Oh shit, oh fuck, oh Jesus…
ANDY
Because if you do trust her, there’s no reason in the world you can’t keep every cent of that money.
Hadley abruptly jerks Andy to a stop right at the edge. In fact, Andy’s past the edge, beyond his balance, shoetips scraping the roof. The only thing between him and an ugly drop to the concrete is Hadley’s grip on the front of his shirt.
HADLEY
You better start making sense.
ANDY
If you want to keep that money, all of it, just give it to your wife. See, the IRS allows you a one-time-only gift to your spouse. It’s good up to sixty thousand dollars.
HADLEY
Naw, that ain’t right! Tax free?
ANDY
Tax free. IRS can’t touch one cent.
The cons are pausing work, stunned by this business discussion.
HADLEY
You’re the smart banker what shot his wife. Why should I believe a smart banker like you? So’s I can wind up in here with you?
ANDY
It’s perfectly legal. Go ask the IRS, they’ll say the same thing. Actually, I feel silly telling you all this. I’m sure you would have investigated the matter yourself.
HADLEY
Fuckin’-A. I don’t need no smart wife-killin’ banker to show me where the bear shit in the buckwheat.
ANDY
Of course not. But you will need somebody to set up the tax-free gift, and that’ll cost you. A lawyer, for example…
HADLEY
Ambulance-chaaing, highway-robbing cocksuckers!
ANDY
…or come to think of it, I suppose I could set it up for you. That would save you some money. I’ll write down the forms you need, you can pick them up, and I’ll prepare them for your signature… nearly free of charge.
(off Hadley’s look)
I’d only ask three beers apiece for my co-workers, if that seems fair.
TROUT
(guffawing)
Co-workers! Get him! That’s rich, ain’t it? Co-workers…
Hadley freezes him with a look. Andy presses on:
ANDY
I think a [m]an working outdoors feels more like a man if he can have a bottle of suds. That’s only my opinion.
The convicts stand gaping, all pretense of work gone. They look like they’ve been pole-axed. Hadley shoots them a look.
HADLEY
What are you jimmies starin’ at? Back to work, goddamn it!
The Deconstruction
In this first section, Red’s shock at Andy staring at Hadley tells us that he is not a guard you want to mess with. With this clear warning from Red, the tension has skyrocketed and the sense of danger has definitely been set.
Red glances over — and is shocked to see Andy standing up, listening to the guards talk.
RED (CONT’D)
Hey, you nuts? Keep your eyes on your pail!
Andy not only decides to ignore Red’s advice, he marches toward Hadley who is already infuriated by his inheritance. This is dangerous territory and his friends’ reaction to his bold move confirms it.
Andy tosses his Padd in the bucket and strolls toward Hadley.
RED (CONT’D)
Andy! Come back! Shit!
SNOOZE
What’s he doing?
FLOYD
Gettin’ himself killed.
RED
God damn it…
HEYWOOD
Just keep spreadin’ tar…
The guards’ reaction escalates the danger. They are ready to shoot if need be. They are not playing around.
The guards stiffen at Andy’s approach. Youngblood’s hand goes to his holster. The tower guards CLICK-CLACK their rifle bolts. Hadley turns, stupefied to find Andy there.
As if the situation wasn’t tense already, Andy blurts out the worst question he could have asked and follows up with an even worse one. He could have gone straight to the point and mentioned that he could keep every cent of that inheritance, but that’s not how you build danger, is it?
ANDY
Mr. Hadley. Do you trust your wife?
HADLEY
That’s funny. You’re gonna look funnier suckin’ my dick with no fuckin’ teeth.
ANDY
What I mean is, do you think she’d go behind your back? Try to hamstring you?
Without waiting for Andy to clarify, it quickly escalates and the man is about to lose his life. At this point in the scene, the danger is at its peak.
HADLEY
That’s it! Step aside, Mert. This fucker’s havin’ hisself an accident.
Hadley grabs Andy’s collar and propels him violently toward the edge of the roof. The cons furiously keep spreading tar.
HEYWOOD
Oh God, he’s gonna do it, he’s gonna throw him off the roof…
SNOOZE
Oh shit, oh fuck, oh Jesus…
Then there is a little release to all the build-up, but the danger is still present as Andy’s life is in Hadley’s hands.
ANDY
Because if you do trust her, there’s no reason in the world you can’t keep every cent of that money.
Hadley abruptly jerks Andy to a stop right at the edge. In fact, Andy’s past the edge, beyond his balance, shoetips scraping the roof. The only thing between him and an ugly drop to the concrete is Hadley’s grip on the front of his shirt.
HADLEY
You better start making sense.
Still in a dire position, the negotiation takes place. Andy is gaining ground.
ANDY
If you want to keep that money, all of it, just give it to your wife. See, the IRS allows you a one-time-only gift to your spouse. It’s good up to sixty thousand dollars.
HADLEY
Naw, that ain’t right! Tax free?
ANDY
Tax free. IRS can’t touch one cent.
The cons are pausing work, stunned by this business discussion.
HADLEY
You’re the smart banker what shot his wife. Why should I believe a smart banker like you? So’s I can wind up in here with you?
ANDY
It’s perfectly legal. Go ask the IRS, they’ll say the same thing. Actually, I feel silly telling you all this. I’m sure you would have investigated the matter yourself.
HADLEY
Fuckin’-A. I don’t need no smart wife-killin’ banker to show me where the bear shit in the buckwheat.
ANDY
Of course not. But you will need somebody to set up the tax-free gift, and that’ll cost you. A lawyer, for example…
HADLEY
Ambulance-chaaing, highway-robbing cocksuckers!
ANDY
…or come to think of it, I suppose I could set it up for you. That would save you some money. I’ll write down the forms you need, you can pick them up, and I’ll prepare them for your signature… nearly free of charge.
(off Hadley’s look)
I’d only ask three beers apiece for my co-workers, if that seems fair.
TROUT
(guffawing)
Co-workers! Get him! That’s rich, ain’t it? Co-workers…
Hadley freezes him with a look. Andy presses on:
ANDY
I think a [m]an working outdoors feels more like a man if he can have a bottle of suds. That’s only my opinion.
The convicts stand gaping, all pretense of work gone. They look like they’ve been pole-axed. Hadley shoots them a look.
And then we reach the resolution. Andy was convincing. The danger dissipates.
HADLEY
What are you jimmies starin’ at? Back to work, goddamn it!
The Steps to Building Danger
If we take the above deconstruction, we can clearly identify a few steps the writer used to build danger and tension in the scene.
The Setup
The scene starts with the setup. All the right elements are in place to establish a precarious situation. In this case, Byron Hadley is in a state of anger. Not the best time for what is to come.
The Bold Move
The character is either oblivious to the danger ahead, reckless, or simply cocky. Either way, the character is not thinking straight. Andy openly defies Hadley, first by eavesdropping the conversation and staring at the guards, and then by marching toward the man.
The Reactions
The character’s actions kindle reactions for the other characters in the scene. Those reactions help us identify the level of danger lying ahead. In this scene, we have the fearful warnings from Red and fellow prisoners to stay put, as well as the guards preparing to shoot. The stakes have heightened, Andy could lose his life.
The Wrong Thing to Say at the Wrong Time
To escalate the situation even further, the main character says the wrong thing. Here Frank Darabont could have gone directly to:
ANDY
Because if you do trust her, there’s no reason in the world you can’t keep every cent of that money.
Instead, he masterfully builds up the tension by having Andy ask what can only infuriate Hadley:
ANDY
Mr. Hadley. Do you trust your wife?
HADLEY
That’s funny. You’re gonna look funnier suckin’ my dick with no fuckin’ teeth.
ANDY
What I mean is, do you think she’d go behind your back? Try to hamstring you?
The Final Escalation
This is where everything goes wrong and we arrive at the peak of danger for our character. Hadley has no patience with Andy’s bold move and takes him to the edge of the roof. The character’s life is hanging by a thread.
The Control Shift
The character reclaims control of the situation and there is suddenly a possibility that he will escape this alive. Although Andy is still balancing on the edge of the roof, he has Hadley’s attention.
The Negotiation
The character not only needs to avoid death, but he also wants something. Now that Andy has Hadley’s undivided attention, he can put his negotiation skills to good use.
The Resolution
This is the final release, the resolution. Our character is out of danger and has won the negotiation. His bold move has paid off.
Conclusion
In this scene, everything has been masterfully crafted to build the tension, establish danger, and sustain it long enough to keep the viewer on the edge of its seat.