Cool Hand Luke

COOL HAND LUKE (15)

D: Stuart Rosenberg

Warner Bros. (Gordon Carroll)

USA 🇺🇸 1967

126 mins

Crime/Drama

W: Donn Pierce & Frank Pierson [bassd on the novel by Donn Pierce]

DP: Conrad L. Hall

Ed: Sam O'Steen

Mus: Lalo Schifrin

PD: Cary Odell

Cos: Howard Shoup

Paul Newman (Luke Jackson), George Kennedy (Dragline), Lou Antonio (Koko), Robert Drivas (Loudmouth Steve), Strother Martin (Captain), Jo Van Fleet (Arletta), Clifton James (Carr), Morgan Woodward (Boss Godfrey), Luke Askew (Boss Paul)

"Sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand."

Paul Newman delivers one of his career best performances as Luke, a petty criminal doing two years hard labour with a chain gang and rebels against the system, inspiring the other convicts, until the system finally does break him.

Allegedly a Christ allegory, the film can be taken on both levels, with the perfect mix of drama, comedy, adventure and tragedy.

There's many memorable and classic moments, including the famous egg-eating contest, but the film is arguably best remembered for the excellent performances of Paul Newman, George Kennedy and Strother Martin as the dastardly captain who finally breaks Luke with his memorable line "What we got here is failure to communicate."

The epitome of cool.

10/10