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Paul Newman gives one of the defining performances of his career, and cemented his place as a beautiful-rebel screen icon playing the stubbornly tough and independent title character in Cool Hand Luke. And before he became familiar as a sidekick in 1970s disaster movies (Earthquake and the Airport movies), George Kennedy won an Oscar for playing Dragline, the brutal chain-gang boss who tries to beat loner Luke's cool out of him. It's a classic rebel-against-the-repressive-institution story in the line of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest or The Shawshank Redemption. Certain moments have become classics--particularly the hardboiled egg-eating contest, and the immortal line (drooled by Strother Martin, as a sadistic redneck prison officer), "What we have here is a failure to communicate." And don't forget, Luke is also the source of the oft-quoted driving ditty, "I don't care if it rains or freezes, long as I have my plastic Jesus, right here on the dashboard of my car..." He is cool, all right. --Jim Emerson
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By heykers
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Before classics such as Shawshank Redemption, there was Cool Hand Luke. Prison movies strike natural curiosity in everyone and this movie is amazing. Not only is Paul Newman gorgeous, he is a legend! This movie is comical but at the same time, screams true feelings. You will not be disappointed.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Darren Reid
Format:Blu-ray
I'm no authority on how films are re-mastered for blu-ray but something looks very wrong here. My guess is that the film has been artifically sharpened. The result is awful halos around the characters anytime they stand against a blue sky (which is often in this film). It gives the film the appearance of something shot against a blue-screen on a sound stage rather than on location. A real travesty.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is the perfect '60s movie. It is anti-authoritarian without being strident, a serious drama with whimsy, gritty and violent with a sexy side (who can forget the car wash scene?). Newman plays the "christ" figure and his prisoners as his disciples and believers (after he wins them over). The guards and the warden are the high priests and the Romans. And of course, they kill him in the end.
But we have some great fun along the way. Luke strips the heads off of a street of parking meters and gets a sentence far out of proportion to such a silly crime. To say that Luke chooses not to fit in is an understatement. It isn't that he takes on the system. Rather, his mere presence and indifference to the system causes it to change or to try and eliminate him as if he were some invading virus.
There are some wonderful and indelible scenes such as the egg eating, the fight with Dragline (George Kennedy), the race to the end of the road, the failure to communicate scene and the severe punishment Luke receives. It seems like you can sit around talking about scenes from this movie longer than the movie itself.
Paul Newman made Luke immortal, but George Kennedy as Dragline and Strother Martin as Captain are also essential to this movie's character and permanence.
Today's viewers might fine the pacing of the movie a bit slow and see some seams that those of us who love it might ignore, but so what? It is a classic and enjoyable film that is a touchstone for many who were young when they first saw it in 1967.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
New Cool Hand Luke
I bought this as a gift so I did not view this. I did however see this movie many times on TV. It is one of the top 100 old films of all time in my opinion
Published 3 months ago by Terry L Rider
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gritty classic!
Paul Newman plays the non-conformist role to perfection. The supporting cast is top-notch. Many of them could have handled leading roles, they are so solid. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Brad Mundy
5.0 out of 5 stars
This film does NOT fail to communicate
This is the perfect '60s movie. It is anti-authoritarian without being strident, a serious drama with whimsy. Read more
Published on Jun 4 2004 by Craig Matteson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paul NewMan as Cool Hand Luke what a classic
newman (old blue eyes) stars as cool hand luke jackson, a war hero, who gets himself in trouble with the law, and is repeatedly beaten both mentally and physically savagely by the... Read more
Published on April 6 2004 by CHRIS PACHECO DooyooCrownReviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Natural-Born World-Shaker
I personally loved this movie. The story is interesting, with a minimum of twists and turns. This movie is entertainment at its best. Read more
Published on Feb 29 2004 by Hsoj Yensid
5.0 out of 5 stars
My All-Time Favorite
There's just nothing bad to say about this movie. From the opening scene, in which a drunken Lucas Jackson gets busted cutting the heads off of parking meters (and gets two years... Read more
Published on Feb 13 2004 by Jude C Toche
2.0 out of 5 stars
They botched the DVD
One of the best movies made during my lifetime (born 1952), they botched the DVD.
The image quality is average at best and if you factor in that this movie is a classic, the... Read more
Published on Jan 28 2004 by Mike McCurdy
5.0 out of 5 stars
"All I need is my plastic Jesus"
One of the few truly perfect movies ever made. Great cast, incredible chemistry, amazing flow, Newman in his prime, Strother Martin at his bizarre best. Read more
Published on Jan 27 2004 by Ghenghis
5.0 out of 5 stars
The movie that made Newman an icon
"What we have here is a failure to communicate." Whoever has seen this film surely remembers that line - and the scene immediately following it. Read more
Published on Nov 26 2003 by Peggy Vincent
2.0 out of 5 stars
Classic and classically boring
I have to admit Newman puts up excellent performance in Cool Hand Luke. But the film is really quite boring and Luke just gets annoying after a while. Read more
Published on Oct 21 2003 by Gadgester
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