Cool Hand Luke | | Cast : | Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin | | Director : | Stuart Rosenberg | | Studio : | Warner Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | November 01, 1967 | | DVD Released Date : | February 08, 2005 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 20, 2005 | | Summary | Great Classic - 5 Stars | Content
 | This movie is a must have for anyone that is a big, or small fan of Paul Newman. George Kennedy is equally as great & keeps the movie going. The egg eating scene is within itself a must see & seems so real, I can almost feel my own stomach swell. Strother Martin is cool & collect with the line, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate". I give this classic 5 stars. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 25, 2005 | | Summary | Cool Hand Newman | Content
| There's a line in the movie Ordinary People that I can't help but associate with this movie, to paraphrase it, it's something like don't idolize someone too much, cause it'll disappoint you. Luke (Newman) was somehow in that situation he's become such a hero to the other prisoners that he can't disappoint them. Even when he told the truth about the fake photo and the final escape (you've got to watch it for context), they turn it into something that will support their "hero" fantasy. In short they're into the image and not the person. In Luke's darkest hour they all left him, somehow implying their shallow relationship.
The character Luke is enigmatic, it's really hard to tell with certainty why he is the way he is. Paul Newman embodied the role perfectly, this might be his most beloved role of his career probably even more than Butch Cassidy and "Fast" Eddie Felson. Paul Newman exhibited great range as an actor, he got to be this really intense guy and then play the "cool" guy and then he's got to be really quietly moving without making any big acting dramatics. He is truly one of the best actors.
There are lots of great moments particularly the now famous and infamous "egg-eating contest". Or how about the numerous attempts of Luke to get out of jail and then eventually recaptured. The big fight between Dragline and Luke and then tragic finale of the film. There are so many great moments in this film and I just hope the DVD will be re-released. How cool it would be to have a Paul Newman commentary!
Grade: A |
| Rating | | | Date | April 03, 2005 | | Summary | What we have here is a failure to communicate | Content
| Cool Hand Luke is a great movie from the 60s that features one of Paul Newman's best performances. After slicing the heads off of parking meters, Lucas Jackson is sent to work on a chain gang for two years. At first, Luke is disliked by many of his fellow inmates, but with time he comes to earn their respect. However, Luke is the rebellious type and refuses to be broken down by authority. This is a great movie about a rebel who refuses to give in to authority no matter what the consequences. Luke is somewhat of an outcast who has never fit in with the "norm" of society. Cool Hand Luke is full of famous scenes/lines like the "What we have here is a failure to communicate" line or the eating 50 eggs in an hour scene, but overall the movie is about one's man refusal to live the norm. Highly recommended if you have not seen it.
Paul Newman gives one of his best performances as Lucas Jackson, a rebellious prisoner on a chain gang who refuses to give up or be beaten down by authority. Newman's Luke is a man who struggles with the hand he has been dealt in life, and tries to overcome those problems. George Kennedy won a Best Supporting Oscar for his role as Dragline, a fellow member of the chain gang who becomes Luke's friend. Strother Martin is excellent as the Captain, the warden of the facility who delivers the "communication" line. In a brief, one-scene part, Jo Van Fleet is perfect as Arletta, Luke's dying mother. The chain gang is a huge list of character actors including JD Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Harry Dean Stanton, Wayne Rogers, and a young Dennis Hopper. The movie also stars Morgan Woodward as Boss Godfrey, "No Eyes," Luke Askew, Anthony Zerbe, and Clifton James.
This is a movie that deserves a 2-disc special edition DVD, not the lousy cardboard Warner Brothers version with no extras other than a trailer and widescreen presentation. Moviegoers obviously love this movie so why isn't there a Special Edition DVD out there? Still, this is a classic movie and a must-have overall, so don't let this DVD scare you away. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 08, 2005 | | Summary | Cool Hand Luke: One of Newman's Greatest Roles | Content
| *** This comment may contain spoilers ***
"What we have here is failure to communicate"
So says the captain about the inmate called "Cool Hand Luke" in the film of the same name. In the movie, Paul Newman plays a man who lives in a small town. He personifies the very individualistic mindset.
Having nothing to do and no friends, Luke (Newman) decides to do a little drinking while cutting the heads off of parking meters. When confronted by the police, Luke acts like he is drunk (either he is actually acting or he actually is drunk) and finds his way into prison .Once in prison, Luke joins a chain gang. All goes well and, despite a rough start, the inmates begin to like him. He even makes a friend in the form of Dragline, an illiterate man played by George Kennedy. Luke is just about to get out of the prison. Then fate deals him a bad hand.
Luke learns about his mother's death. In his sorrow, Luke breaks out of prison, only to be caught. He escapes again, only to be caught and beaten. Then, he takes a prison truck and escapes along with Dragline, only to be shot by a very accurate prison guard.
This film comments on society's treatment of the individual. In the beginning of the film, Luke's attitude equals the epitome of self sufficiency. He is a loner who considers rules and regulations, as he puts it in the scene with the famous "Night in the Box" speech, "nothin' worth listenin' to." As he lives on in the prison, his attitude of I don't need you frustrates the prison officials who try to get his "mind right" repeatedly. They take their dismay, and persist in doing this despite it's lack of effectiveness, to the point that they beat Luke. Luke fights them at every turn. They lie and beat him, showing this most sadistically in a scene where they tell Luke to get his dirt out of the captain's ditch. They make him get the dirt out, then complain about the unavoidable effect of having that dirt on the lawn when he is done. He has to put the dirt back in. Right after that, he is forced to take the dirt back out again. This cycle continues until Luke reaches the point where he lashes out in frustration, only to be beaten to the point where he falls into the ditch. He comes back out, wrapping his arms around the nearest guard, crying about how his mind is now right.
Then there is the climactic scene with Lukein a church. Dragline comes in and tries to get Luke to give up peaceably. Here, Dragline represents society's desire to get everyone to just mindlessly conform to its ways. Luke refuses, and ironically gets shot. This shooting is interesting if nothing else for the fact that the authorities not only have no reason to believe Luke is armed, but also for the fact that he gets shot for impersonating a prison official. Luke's soul has refused to conform to society's rules and ends up needing to get extinguished.
Thus, "Cool Hand Luke" becomes a comment on society. Luke dislikes the need of his fellow inmates to latch onto him so tightly. Luke dislikes rules, becoming a non-conformist. Society has constantly tried to extinguish the non-conformists. Examples include the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, and the homosexuals. Like them, Luke is also a non-conformist. Like them, society clashes with Luke. Like them, society tries to kill Luke. Too bad society has not learned to deal with other people's views. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 14, 2005 | | Summary | Classic Paul Newman In His Prime | Content
| I have just seen this movie again after many years. It is great to see Paul Newman at his best in a movie released in 1967 which was filmed about 38 years ago. This is one of the movies that made him so famous.
Luke is sent to prison into a chain gang for a petty crime. He finds himself in a very strict, brutal and crushing prison system. The story is about his incredible bravery as he tries in spirit and in actuality to battle back from being brutalized by the guards. In the end, he only makes it out of the prison in spirit. His prison escapes fail. |
|
