Cool Hand Luke Reviews and Ratings


  • Mixxpix
    December 20, 2009
    Mixxpix
    I could watch this over and over and over again...
  • missathebrat
    December 12, 2009
    missathebrat
    One of the best movies every made!
  • QueenCityFilms
    December 11, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    Spellbinding performance from Newman...one for the AGES. His finest role, hands down.
  • alysserr
    December 7, 2009
    alysserr
    an awesome movie. filled with symbolism and analogous imagery that I just love to watch.
  • 339z
    December 5, 2009
    339z
    wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch....its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie...i think that paul newman, lou antonio, joe don baker, harry dean stanton, jd cannon, jo van fleet, george kennedy, dennis hopp...( read more)er, anthony zerbe play good roles/parts thorughout this movie...i think that the director of this drama movie had done a great job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie i think that this is a brilliant movie 2 watch with a great cast throughout this movie n its a really powerful drama movie 2 watch
  • rudolfanddorfmeister
    November 23, 2009
    rudolfanddorfmeister
    "The man and the motion picture that simply do not conform." (from original poster)
    Truly an example of a cult classic.
  • kcddck
    November 14, 2009
    kcddck
    This was a movie that had my full attention right from the get go and I never lost interest once. Paul Newman is the man. This was one fo the best acting jobs I have ever seen. George Kennedy and Harry dean Stanton were awesome in a supporting roles. Even the villains in this mov...( read more)ie were great. But Newman really makes this movie cool with his charisma and demeanor. The way his character will never let himself get beaten down. The scene where he is shaking the bushes was my favorite.
  • thegospel2
    November 13, 2009
    thegospel2
    "Quit livin' through me"
  • marylanenalyram
    November 9, 2009
    marylanenalyram
    I'd take this over any real career path.
    super hero
  • theloneowl
    November 6, 2009
    theloneowl
    C'č poco da dire, epico.
  • g0y
    November 4, 2009
    g0y
    Another film that captures prison monotony, with possible Bresson influences and an obvious influence to Shawshank. Again: why would anyone care for feeling monotony? More often than not it will appear with no cinematic force. Two-thirds gets a 0/10, last third gets 5/10. And all...( read more) the actors are douches for speaking with annoying accents.
  • spacecasefukface
    November 2, 2009
    spacecasefukface
    i couldent even begin to tell you how many times ive seen this film.
    This is newman at his greatest!!!!!!!!
    "nobody can eat 50 eggs" great supporting cast (george kennedy, a very young dennis hopper,Harry Dean Stanton)and great direction by Stuart Rosenberg(amityville horror)
  • dukeakasmudge
    October 29, 2009
    dukeakasmudge
    Paul Newman was great in this movie.1 of Newmans best
  • youthagainstfascism1
    October 22, 2009
    youthagainstfascism1
    One of the most enjoyable films ever.
  • chattanoogacowboyche
    October 17, 2009
    chattanoogacowboyche
    Perfect guy movie, for some reason women just dont get it. Go figure.
  • rajiv23gooners
    October 16, 2009
    rajiv23gooners
    great film, very entertaining, visually good-looking,good ending, i honestly like it better than another great anti-hero movie like 'one flew over the cuckoo's nest', this one seems more real.,
    one thing for sure, luke is the coolest character ever !
  • flbeachboy
    October 4, 2009
    flbeachboy
    An excellent movie, and an all star cast. Paul Newman at his best, in my opinion! Why he didn't win an Oscar for his potrayal as a loner in a prison chain gang is beyond me!
  • fluturash
    October 1, 2009
    fluturash
    a lot of talent here, and i don't mean just acting.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    The ultimate anti-hero, Cool Hand Luke said a lot about the 60's and still stands up today. Fight the system, the system will probably win but at least you didn't bend over and take it!
  • phmadore
    September 30, 2009
    phmadore
    It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be, but for its time I'm sure it was superb.
  • BeyondAGraySea
    September 27, 2009
    BeyondAGraySea
    It would be nice to see more than the last half-hour
  • ahhh1989
    September 20, 2009
    ahhh1989
    Rosenberg's masterpiece.
  • ElCochran90
    September 11, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Paul Newman portrays the coolest and coldest guy you will ever know, and the best egg eater as well. Nice piece of classic filmmaking.

    87/100
  • ZRUV
    September 10, 2009
    ZRUV
    Best western/action. Great plot and acting.
  • aj510
    September 5, 2009
    aj510
    Another classic Paul Newman. Wait a minute......is there really a movie with Paul Newman i don't like?.........NOPE!!!!!!
  • emiliotejera
    August 30, 2009
    emiliotejera
    Prison movie about the human desire to live free as his instincts say. The character interpreted by Paul Newman is interesting, an indomitable man who wants to live free and always acts with no worries and as his heart says, with a enormous heart and great braveness. However, itī...( read more)s difficult that you really-really like this film unless you are a big Paul Newman fan or you like guys-stories, because itīs more focused to be one of these stories than one centered in freedom (as, for example, The Shawshank Redemption).
  • SageSlowdive
    August 24, 2009
    SageSlowdive
    Newman is HOT AS HELL, and the movie is good.
  • svet4
    August 14, 2009
    svet4
    Great movie. Paul Newman is really cool :)
  • foks
    July 28, 2009
    foks
    What we've got here is a triumph in filmmaking. A praise of freedom. An appreciation of individualism. A great movie.

    And here's a challenge for you, girls: watch Paul Newman's performance and I doubt you will still keep that poster of Robert Pattinson/Zac Efron/Johnny Depp that...( read more)'s currently hanging above your bed.
  • StayFrosty101
    July 20, 2009
    StayFrosty101
    Paul Newman! Need I say more?
  • GothamKnights
    July 14, 2009
    GothamKnights
    Whether or not you have any interest in `old' films, this is a film that cannot be missed. Paul Newman is so indescribably cool in this movie, so mysterious and rebellious, that his performance can and hopefully will inspire non-conformists for generations to come. Put simply, it...( read more) does not age. He's only a man, and can be beaten, but his spirit is never broken, and his focus never lost. As for the rest of the movie, from end to end it's nearly flawless. Arguably the best script ever written, amazing cinematography from Conrad Hall, and a solid supporting cast gives the viewer the feeling that this is the definitive rebel movie. Surrounded by inmates who have forgotten to think for themselves and believe in themselves, he gets the whole prison believing again. It seems as if the one thing those inmates needed was the hope for freedom, being stuck behind bars and fences can quickly kill a man's will. Luke enters, and is the embodiment of all these hopes, and revels in the trust and camaraderie he is given. If you have the time to be reading reviews about it, use your time wisely and go rent ?Cool Hand Luke' tonight, you'll be very happy with the outcome.
  • afoster6310
    July 14, 2009
    afoster6310
    By far this guys best work.
  • xXxXHorrorFanxXxX
    June 29, 2009
    xXxXHorrorFanxXxX
    Director: Stuart Rosenberg
    Country: USA
    Genre: Crime / Drama
    Length: 126 min


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    ...( read more)

    Lucas Jackson (Paul Newman) is using a pipe cutter to cut the tops off of parking meters. He is drinking, possibly drunk, but not violent. When the police arrive, he is peacefully arrested. Off-screen apparently he is tried, convicted of destroying public property, and sentenced to two years in prison.

    When he arrives at the prison, the warden reads through his record. He remarks that Luke had been in the Army, attained the rank of Sergeant, but was discharged as a private. Something he did got him busted back down to the same rank at which he entered the Army.

    Dragline (George Kennedy) is clearly the leader of the prisoners. He is smarter, stronger, bigger, and does not hesitate to exercise his power over them. Most of the prisoners willingly submit to Dragline, but Luke does not. There is no open opposition to Dragline, just a casual refusal to change his behavior in order to please others.

    After Luke says something that Dragline takes as a challenge to his authority, Dragline arranges for he and Luke to have a boxing match. Being much larger, Dragline simply pounds Luke into a pulp, but Luke will not give up, or stay down on the ground. What begins as a boxing match with enthusiastic prisoners and guards watching slowly turns into a sad spectacle. Prisoners begin to plead with Luke to lay down and refuse to get back up, and eventually Dragline himself pleads with Luke to simply stop fighting back, but Luke will not stop. The prisoners begin to walk away, unable to watch the sad scene any longer. Dragline himself wants the fight to end, and at one point has to catch the beaten and exhausted Luke from falling down, carrying him across his shoulder and gently setting him on the ground, only to have Luke use what little strength he has left to tap Dragline with one last punch. Finally, even Dragline cannot continue. The only men who are still entertained and watching are the guards and the warden.

    Luke becomes the prisoners' hero, and even Dragline is now respectful of Luke.

    On the chain gang, Luke encourages the other prisoners, by his own attitude and energy, to excel at their menial tasks. This not only encourages camaraderie among the prisoners, it deprives the guards of a stick to hold over the prisoners' heads. The prisoners are forced to shovel sand over a freshly tarred road, and they perform the job so quickly and with such a sense of competition that they complete the job early, and thus by default earn a few hours of relaxation, because there is no more road on which to work.

    Then Luke's mother dies. She came to visit him earlier, visibly sick, and it is clear that Luke gets his independent streak from her. He admired her ability to live life on her own terms, and has tried to emulate that, but with much different results. When he learns of her death, he sheds a few tears while singing an irreverent gospel song.

    The warden uses the death of Luke's mother as an excuse to lock him in "the box," solitary confinement in a hot wooden shed. The warden claims that men will often run away when their relatives die, so he locks Luke up until after Luke's mother is buried. This has the opposite effect, and Luke promptly escapes after being released from solitary.

    Luke is later caught, after mailing a picture and magazine back to his former fellow prisoners. He is double-chained, but escapes a second time. Again, he is recaptured. While Luke is becoming the "hero" of his fellow prisoners, it is a role he does not want. He admonishes them to "stop feeding off me," to stop living life vicariously through his acts.

    The guards and warden determine to break Luke's will. They force him to dig and bury, then re-dig and re-bury, a ditch. He is beaten, and tormented, until he finally begs God to spare him from the warden and guards. They take this as a sign that he is finally a broken man, and Luke himself later admits that it did break him.

    Nonetheless, when he is later given an opportunity, he seizes it and escapes again, stealing one of the prison trucks to make his get-away. This time, Dragline decides to go with Luke. Only later, after their escape, does Dragline weigh out the consequences. He had only two years left on his sentence, but now - if caught - will probably have many more years in prison.

    Dragline wants to team up with Luke, but Luke tells him that he wants to go alone. Luke has always been an individual, not a conventional leader, and does not want to take on that role now. Luke goes into a church, after being completely irreverent to God through the entire film, and asks God to help him escape. But the warden and guards arrive, and when Luke mocks them from the church window, he is shot.

    The local police want to take Luke to the hospital, but the warden insists that they take him back to prison instead. It is clear that Luke will not make it that far, but the warden heads off with Luke in his car. The one guard who always wears sunglasses is attacked by Dragline, and though Dragline is subdued, he managed to take off the guard's mirror-like sunglasses (and the warden runs over them with his car).

    In the final scene, Dragline is regaling the prisoners with stories of Luke's final moments, and it is clear that Luke is dead. He is the true anti-hero, never wanting to be anybody's role model, just wanting to live life on his own terms. But like the guard's sunglasses, Luke managed to unmask the injustice and hypocrisy of the system in which he was confined. Basically he gave up his life over a parking meter, but in the final analysis he could not be broken by the system.
  • spaulsson
    June 10, 2009
    spaulsson
    Not the story, not the message, but Luke, this mysterious man, excellently played by Paul Newman, has come to be the main topic when discussing this 60's classic. That's only natural, because, just like Luke, this drama has no clear point, yet it's so easy to like. Great acting, ...( read more)great soundtrack, great film.
  • psyclock7
    June 9, 2009
    psyclock7
    Another classic...Newman at the top of his game. Great flick...
  • Viriato
    June 9, 2009
    Viriato
    "What we got here is a failure to communicate."

    When I think about this movie, I remind not one but several memorable scenes. Luke drunk and cutting the heads off parking meters in opening scene; Luke refusing to give up a fight even after he is been knocked to the ground coun...( read more)tless times; A group of prisoners lustily watching a busty woman as she washes her car in front of them. And, of course Luke eating 50 hard-boiled eggs on a dare.

    Cool Hand Luke is a memorable movie that is a study of the unbreakable human spirit in the face of oppression. It is a hymn to the individual freedom, to the non-conformism and to the struggle of an individual against the oppression of the State. Transcending the typical prison film, Cool Hand Luke combines a thought-provoking story with humor and wit, and one of the best and finest performance by Paul Newman.
    Unforgettable performances (George Kennedy was amazing as Dragline, Harry Dean Stanton, Joe Don Baker, Dennis Hopper, etc.), good direction done by Stuart Rosenberg (it may be his best work), excellent script written by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson, and the music by Lalo Schifrin emphasizes the environment in the chain.
    This film is 40 years old and still amazing...
  • canadien42
    June 7, 2009
    canadien42
    The actors are definately first-class. Newman portrays a cool kind of rebel that doesn't like to take orders from anyone. From the egg eating contest to the boxing match, the movie succeeds in entertaining.
  • tabitharod
    June 4, 2009
    tabitharod
    Paul Newman is one smoooth character
  • tastybubbles02
    June 2, 2009
    tastybubbles02
    Newman's attitude through it made me a fan. Instant classic.
  • RobynMaher715
    May 30, 2009
    RobynMaher715
    Just plain ol fun. Probably one of my favorite movie scenes in any movie is when Luke refuses to stay down. Just awesome. :)
  • vroberts6
    May 28, 2009
    vroberts6
    Paul Newman as the original rebel with a cause. The scene where he eats the eggs is terrific! George Kennedy won his Best Supporting Oscar for this comedy drama and Strother Martin immortalized the line "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
  • italiachick
    May 26, 2009
    italiachick
    Pretty bad movie. Another movie that is supposed to be good and not at all.
  • anto11434
    May 12, 2009
    anto11434
    Paul Newman was the great. People always enjoy movies where they see a bit of themselves in it.
  • samanthaseaotter
    May 12, 2009
    samanthaseaotter
    great, great film. Makes you cry at the end.
  • randyrrice
    May 6, 2009
    randyrrice
    My favorite movie of all time
  • jossdenham
    April 30, 2009
    jossdenham
    Paul newman is as cool as ever

Summary

Cool Hand Luke Summary