RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
100 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Cool Hand Luke

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Paul Newman in his blue-eyed prime.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/22/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of those movies you remember Great Moments from.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/22/08
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A seminal work.

comment Comment
09/23/04
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

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.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Tom Milne
Tom Milne
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
07/07/05
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

No review available.

comment Comment
08/12/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

One of the sharpest prison dramas ever, although it's graced with some very humorous portions as well.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/23/09
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

A tough, honest film with backbone.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

gorgeous looking and terrifically acted

Full Review Source: Cinema Writer | comment Comment
08/20/06
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer

No review available.

comment Comment
01/06/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Cool Hand Luke now seems more like a well-made entertainment than any kind of American masterpiece.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
09/04/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
05/02/09
Robert Levin
Robert Levin
Critic's Notebook

Classic anti-hero story still packs a punch.

comment Comment
11/04/05
James Plath
James Plath
DVDTown.com

...most viewers will have little failure understanding the movie and its motives. They communicate brilliantly.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
08/26/08
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

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."

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
04/04/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/02/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

Cool Hand Luke rivals only One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as the best movie ever made about men locked up.

comment Comment
09/21/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

An amazing accomplishment by Newman as the best fight man has left in him.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Brad Laidman
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

The lines and the character have survived the film's oft-forgotten actual message.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/05/08
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

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: Critical Consensus: "Casino Royale" Fresh, Certified Fresh; "Happy Feet" Shows Fancy Footwork; Guess The Tomatometer for "Prison"
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...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
21
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
44
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
118
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
178
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
131
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
76
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
59
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
40
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
26
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
20
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
10
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
20
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
7
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Cool Hand Luke at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Cool Hand Luke at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.