Escape from Alcatraz has loads of similarity to Shawshank Redemption. Just saw Escape from Alcatraz for the first time last week after maybe a decade or so and the commonalities kind of stunned me. No question that Shawshank is a vastly superior movie and I'm not saying they are the same storyline. That said, many of the most emotional themes or circumstances of Shawshank are nearly the exact same as Escape from Alcatraz.

-Unfair/prideful/power hungry warden
-Old guy devoted to a small pet- who everyone loves - he gets ruined by the warden becomes a symbol for the protagonist to win
-Corroded cement/plaster walls that are dug out over significant time- hiding it, using tiny tools to do the job
-Really intelligent protagonist who kind of flies under the radar
-Big scary sexual predator that is after the protagonist
-Black friend who is well respected in the prison who slowly becomes close friends with the protagonist, a person of unique resources, and makes book deliveries to the other inmates
-The library has important significance in both stories
-A spit in the eye last act of defiance to stick it to the warden at the end

Anyway, it doesn't matter but its another reminder that all good stories are built on previous stories.