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Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas ... see more see more... , Strother Martin , Jo Van Fleet , Clifton James , Morgan Woodward , Luke Askew , Marc Cavell , Robert Donner , Warren Finnerty , John McLiam , Wayne Rogers , Charles Tyner , Ralph Waite , Anthony Zerbe , Buck Kartalian , Joy Harmon , Joe Don Baker , Chuck Hicks , John Pearce , Rush Williams , James Jeter , Robert Luster , Rance Howard , Dick Davalos , James Gammon , Harry Dean Stanton , Dennis Hopper , Donn Pearce

Paul Newman was nominated for an Oscar and George Kennedy received one for his work in this allegorical prison drama. Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is sentenced to a stretch on a southern chain gang afte... read more read more...r he's arrested for drunkenly decapitating parking meters. While the avowed ambition of the captain (Strother Martin) is for each prisoner to "get their mind right," it soon becomes obvious that Luke is not about to kowtow to anybody. When challenged to a fistfight by fellow inmate Dragline (George Kennedy), Luke simply refuses to give up, even though he's brutally beaten. Luke knows how to win at poker, even with bad cards, by using his smarts and playing it cool. Luke also figures out a way for the men to get their work done in half the usual time, giving them the afternoon off. Finally, when Luke finds out his mother has died, he plots his escape; when he's caught, he simply escapes again. Soon, Luke becomes a symbol of hope and resilience to the other men in the prison camp -- and a symbol of rebelliousness that must be stamped out to the guards and the captain. Along with stellar performances by Newman, Kennedy, and Martin, Cool Hand Luke features a superb supporting cast, including Ralph Waite, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, and Joe Don Baker as members of the chain gang. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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93% liked it

58,518 ratings

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100% liked it

44 critics

PG, 2 hr. 6 min.

Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg

Release Date: January 1, 1967

Keywords: prison, memorable, sweatiest

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DVD Release Date: November 3, 1997

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Stats: 4,696 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,696)

  • fb1664868775
    March 28, 2012
    fb1664868775
    Though the film has flaws, the performances by Newman and the whole cast are just amazing.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    September 11, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    The problem with Luke is that he's so "cool" that you can't really care for him, or his antics. I guess this is suppose to be a statement about sticking it to the man, never giving up or something like that. Sorry but Luke is no Kowalski, and he's not driving a bad ass car.
  • fb619846742
    August 27, 2011
    fb619846742
    Without a doubt one of the best movies from the 60's, thanks in large part due to a couple of admirable turns from both Paul Newman and George Kennedy. This is really just an impossible movie not to like - Newman's character is introduced under somewhat mysterious circumstances, ... read moreand thus he captures the attention of his fellow inmates before winning their affection thanks to a very memorable fight scene between him and Kennedy. This is just a classic film in every sense of the word. Newman has never been better, the the twists this story pulls gives it a magnetic quality. The ending is ultimately somewhat predictable but I wouldn't have it any other way. This is just a perfect film that accomplishes being funny, touching, and exciting all in one package.
  • axadntpron
    March 8, 2011
    axadntpron
    "What we have here is failure to communicate" is not only a famous piece of dialogue from this film, but also sums up director Stuart Rosenberg's film Cool Hand Luke. While the story provides so many moments to really dive into the hearts and minds of these characters, Rosenberg ... read moreonly takes advantage of a few. Instead, he substitutes depth with whimsy and we are left with a film that really fails to communicate with the audience. Sure the film is iconic. Newsman and Kelly's performances are very absorbing and the egg eating contest is so bizarre that it has certainly left it's imprint on American cinema. Yet, although these elements make this film memorable, they cannot save the film from the emptiness that saturates many of these scenes. While that may seem harsh, the film isn't all bad. In fact, there are some really powerful scenes. One involves a moment between Luke and his mother. Rosenberg also manages to touch on themes of what makes a "criminal" and what does it mean to be free? Also, the ineffective nature of "correctional facilities" and the persistence of the human spirit.
    It is definitely worth a watch and overall a fine film. Yet, it is really hard to shake the feeling that Rosenberg really missed an opportunity to make a really powerful piece of cinema.
  • garyX
    February 1, 2011
    garyX
    One of the all-time icons of cinematic rebellion, Luke is thrown into a chain gang for two years when he gets drunk and decides to decapitate all of his small southern town's parking meters. His stubborn refusal to bow to the will of authority eventually makes him a hero to his f... read moreellow prisoners but a target to the brutal prison guards determined to break his spirit. Cool Hand Luke is a classic prison drama that has a strong message about subjugation and conformity and its effects on the human spirit. Luke is shown as a very likable but almost psychotically self-destructive obsessive whose total inability to defer to figures of authority (even god himself) makes him an almost legendary figure in the eyes of those less willful who vicariously experience his acts of rebellion to give them new hope. It's a character study of a man's blind rebellion against a system he did not make, always doomed to lose but unwilling to give up kicking against it. It's a film of real warmth, humour and passion, the centrepiece being Newman's fantastic performance which is one of the best of his career. Definitely up there with One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest as one the great stories of the underdog cocking a snoot at "The Man" and one of the finest prison dramas ever made. You'll never look at a boiled egg the way same again.
  • TomBowler
    December 31, 2010
    TomBowler
    An incredible performance by Paul Newman and a great supporting cast as well as some fantastic scenes make this a classic you'll remember. Full review later.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    December 28, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Not even the clear sky itself is as blue as Paul Newman's eyes. Good Lord almighty...
    I REALLY liked this! Good spirit about it! Good Never-Give-Up attitude. I think this is the greatest prison movie (maybe even above Shawshank Redemption). Great story, fun and serious, very well... read more acted and some amazing sunset shots!! Fantastic!
  • FrizzDrop
    November 16, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    Suave, smooth, and oh so nice, Paul Newman is a mix of Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, and Stanley from Streetcar Named Desire. The wheels in his head turn on pure hatred for his life, his sentence, his friendships however needed they may be. He's desperate from the beginning,... read more and now jailed in some backwoods chain gang situation. Escape is the only plausible solution, and he grabs onto it for his life, pulling it to him ever the more slowly.
  • rjayhutchinson
    July 30, 2010
    rjayhutchinson
    A solid prison film with some great performances from Paul Newman and George Kennedy. Well worth watching.
  • ythelastman89
    January 7, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Incredible in every way. Paul Newman was amazing and Luke is one of my favorite characters. The story has such a powerful message about independence an hope. It's not just a prison movie, I wouldn't even classify it as that. It's a character piece, period. It shows you the soul o... read moref a man and never lets you forget it.

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
April 23, 2009
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

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

August 22, 2008
TIME Magazine

A picture of chilling dramatic power. Full Review

Variety Staff
July 22, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Newman gives an excellent performance, assisted by a terriffic supporting cast, including George Kennedy, outstanding as the unofficial leader of the cons who yields first place to Newman. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A tough, honest film with backbone. Full Review

James Berardinelli
April 15, 2004
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

It's as fresh and effective in 2004 as it was in 1967. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

That traditional object of sorrow and compassion in American folk song and lore, the chain-gang prisoner, is given as strong a presentation as ever he has had on the screen. Full Review

Josh Larsen
July 8, 2010
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm

...a gulag melodrama, if such a thing is possible. Full Review

David Nusair
November 16, 2008
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

Anchored by Paul Newman's thoroughly magnetic performance... Full Review

Bill Weber
September 9, 2008
Bill Weber, Slant Magazine

Newman remains watchable and glamorous throughout, bloody, muddy or coated in torso-flattering sweat, but the film's efforts to sentimentally "humanize" him by psychological revelation are clumsy. Full Review

Chris Cabin
September 5, 2008
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com

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

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Boss Paul: Now I can be a nice guy, but if you trouble me, I can be a mean son of a bitch.
    • Captain: What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men.
    • Chief: What we've got here is failure to communicate.
    • Lucas (Luke) Jackson: Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.
    • Dragline: My boy says he can eat fifty eggs, he can eat fifty eggs.
    • Dragline: That's my darling Luke. He grins like a baby but bites like a gator.
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Cool Hand Luke Trivia

  • In Cool Hand Luke, what crime leads to Paul Newman's arrest?  Answer »
  • "What we've got here is failure to communicate" is a line from which Paul Newman movie?  Answer »
  • In Cool Hand Luke, what does Luke Jackson bet that he can eat 50 of?  Answer »
  • What did Paul Newman's character get arrested for in Cool Hand Luke?  Answer »
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