Paul Newman in his blue-eyed prime.
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:43
Fresh:43
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.7/10
Consensus: Though hampered by Stuart Rosenberg's direction, Cool Hand Luke is held aloft by a stellar script and one of Paul Newman's most indelible performances.
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In this classic Southern prison drama, social misfit Lucas "Luke" Jackson (Paul Newman) is incarcerated for a petty crime and sentenced to a chain gang. Luke is a sullen and laconic young man whose... In this classic Southern prison drama, social misfit Lucas "Luke" Jackson (Paul Newman) is incarcerated for a petty crime and sentenced to a chain gang. Luke is a sullen and laconic young man whose cool defiance of the sadistic warden and bullying inmates earns him the title "Cool Hand Luke." But as the prisoners' respect for Luke grows into hero worship, he finds that he must risk everything in order to live up to their expectations. Filled with dozens of memorable scenes (Luke eating 50 eggs) and quotable lines ("What we have here is a failure to communicate."), COOL HAND LUKE is a testament to excellent screenwriting (Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson) and Newman's charm and skill as an actor. The film also features an outstanding supporting cast that includes George Kennedy, Strother Martin, and early screen appearances by Dennis Hopper and Harry Dean Stanton. [More]
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Clifton James, Morgan Woodward, Luke Askew, Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton, Joe Don Baker
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Donn Pearce, Frank Pierson
Producer: Gordon Carroll
Composer: Lalo Schifrin
Reviews for Cool Hand Luke
A caustically witty look at the American South and its still-surviving chain gangs, with Newman in fine sardonic form as the boss-baiter who refuses to submit and becomes a hero to his fellow-prisoners.
One of the sharpest prison dramas ever, although it's graced with some very humorous portions as well.
Stuart Rosenberg's direction is a horror, but the cast teems with so many familiar faces that this 1967 film can't help but entertain.
Cool Hand Luke now seems more like a well-made entertainment than any kind of American masterpiece.
...most viewers will have little failure understanding the movie and its motives. They communicate brilliantly.
Paul Newman and George Kennedy are at their best at this popular prison drama, which drew on the Depression era film, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. Quote to remember: "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."
Cool Hand Luke rivals only One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as the best movie ever made about men locked up.
An amazing accomplishment by Newman as the best fight man has left in him.
The lines and the character have survived the film's oft-forgotten actual message.
Latest News for Cool Hand Luke
September 27, 2008:
Paul Newman Dies at 83
Academy award winner Paul Newman, one of American cinema's most iconic actors, died Friday at his home in Westport, Conn. after a long battle with cancer. He was 83. More...
November 16, 2006:
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This week at the movies prompts several questions. Will the latest Bond movie ("Casino Royale," starring Daniel Craig) leave pundits shaken and stirred? Can penguins... More...
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