Iconic Quote
“Put your trust in the Lord. Your ass belongs to me.”
— Warden Norton, The Shawshank Redemption
What Makes Them Great
Norton is the institutional villain perfected — a man who uses religion and authority to justify corruption. Gunton's smug sanctimony makes his downfall one of cinema's most cathartic moments. The Bible on the safe is the perfect visual metaphor.
The Villain
Bob Gunton's Warden Norton is the most infuriating villain in drama cinema — a Bible-quoting prison warden who preaches righteousness while running a money-laundering operation using prison labor. Gunton plays Norton with the smug certainty of a man who believes his own hypocrisy is God's will. His defeat — Andy Dufresne's escape and the exposure of his crimes — is one of cinema's most satisfying villain downfalls.
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