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Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg Starring: Paul Newman, Dennis Hopper, George Kennedy Probably one of the best movies from the 1960's era. Paul Newman plays Luke, a stubborn prisoner booked on petty charges who simply won't breakdown under the pressures from the warden even after he is thrown into solitary confinement and beaten numerous times. He earns the respect and admiration of his peers though his overt stubbornness, and indomitable spirit. Great script, great cast, and tremendous acting makes for one of the all time greats. A daring escape even spawns a few catch phrases that are used to this day. RATING: 5 PROS: Great script, casting and dialogue. A true classic. CONS: Might be a little depressing for some ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://imdb.com/title/tt0061512/
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Nov 18, 2004 17:00
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 07:43 |
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This is *quality* cinema. 5. Car wash scene, baby. edit: it holds up well past puberty :kittyjig: Ditch fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Nov 18, 2004 |
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Nov 18, 2004 17:12
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I love the character of the guard in this film. I don't remember exactly, but I don't think he ever really says anything, he just holds his rifle and stares with those reflective sunglasses. George Kennedy is great in this as well, and I think he got the academy award for it. His character isn't that interesting when he's first introduced, but once he and Luke get along he really starts to shine. If you like this, you might want to check out the first film of the Female Convict Scorpion series, which opens with a bizarre parody/tribute to this film. edit - the car wash scene was the greatest thing in the world when i was 12.
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Nov 18, 2004 17:14
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Strother Martin is probably my favourite character actor, and this is just another one of his great roles as the captain. As for Newman, his career is really only worth a drat for this and Slap Shot (his salad dressing blows). Great movie that taught me the proper use of the word "grabass". Five.
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Nov 18, 2004 18:09
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Excellent movie. It tells a great story, and does it in an excellent fashion. Has some very clever scenes, too. Also, my middleschool gym coach looked and acted exactly like the guy with the sunglasses. Five out of five. SOME PIG fucked around with this message at 06:33 on Jun 25, 2005 |
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Nov 19, 2004 03:03
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This movie rocks.. I Love the part when the warden makes him dig a hole and get in it and tells luke to put the lotion in the basket. And in the end where he tells luke he is his father is a supprise i was not expecting.
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Nov 19, 2004 16:32
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This movie has been copied so many times it isn't even remotely funny. Watch Cool Hand Luke and then The Last Castle back-to-back. They are the same movie. The guy who wins respect by not giving up in a fight even though he has lost? That started here. "What we have here is, failure to communicate." One of the best prison movies ever made. The Man With No Eyes, was indeed frightening. And it's easy to see why Paul Newman was/is such a stud. Buy his lemonade, it's loving great. It is nearly flawless and really brave. Not many actors would be comfortable showing themselves broken like Luke was by the system. Great acting all around. From the Warden who plays at being a reformer/thinker but is really a sadistic gently caress, to the cons, to the bosses. The only problems I had were a couple scenes of exposition where he is pissed at them riding on his back. And the last one where they put the picture back together even when they knew it was a fake. 4.5
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Nov 19, 2004 18:17
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I give it a 5, it is one of Hollywood's best parables. It touches so many ideas- prison as punishment, the need to punish rebellion, the unbreakable man, how we feed off our heroes... this is just one of those movies everyone must see. It's from a time when Hollywoood didn't spoon-feed you and yet it is extremely accessible. "Still shakin', boss."
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Nov 24, 2004 02:55
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Good characters. Good acting. Story kind of formulaic, but good ups and downs, kept moving nicely. Not much else to say. Rating: 4
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Jan 25, 2005 22:35
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 07:43 |
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I always knew Cool Hand Luke was a good movie, just never got around to watching it. When I saw it was coming up on American Movie Classics, I figured it was worth saving on my DVR and giving it a look. All I knew about it was that Paul Newman cuts off the tops of parking meters, eats a bunch of eggs in a contest, and some chain gain boss says that famous "failure to communicate" quote. An intriguing sample of things, for sure, but it was finally time to give it a look. The story is pretty simple. Paul Newman is clearly a born loser who has a lifetime of screwing up. He's thrown in a workcamp jail for a drunken night of mischief and has an unchained spirit that can't be held down. His "I won't back down" attitude and cool demeanor make him a hero to the other convicts and the bane of the folks in charge. I really like that this "prison movie" is in a non traditional setting. It's really more of a work camp and they work in a chain gang doing work like hacking at dry weeds and tarring roads. There's some hazing of the new guys, but mostly it's a bunch of decent men who screwed up and are trying to make the best of it. Newman's Luke is an oddball new guy who immediately gets under the skin of the camp's alpha prisoner "Dragline" played by George Kennedy. It all comes down to a sanctioned boxing match between the two on a hot dusty Saturday afternoon. Dragline, twice the size of Newman, easily knocks him down, but Luke just won't stay down, despite getting floored over 15 times. The half conscious Luke still throwing punches as Dragline walks away out of pity. Luke wins the fight not by taking out his opponent, but by never giving up. Another famous scene is when Luke brags he could eat 50 eggs in an hour, for no other reason than to provide something to get the camp excited about. It's a painful sequence with a payoff that has a non unintentionally Christlike Newman laying on a table, arms stretched outward in collapsed agony, with a halo of broken eggshells around his head. But Luke is no messiah figure. He even chastises his pals to stop leeching off him. And his escape attempts are both inspiring and humbling. Like many folks who get out of jail, Luke can't function in the outside world either. He'll be back whether they catch him, or he simply screws up again. For a guy who can't make it inside or outside of jail, it's a Catch-22. The ensemble cast is great with some very young classic actors here like Wayne Rogers, Harry Dean Stanton, Lou Antonio, Dennis Hopper, Ralph Waite, and Joe Don Baker present. These guys weren't hired to be in the movie for any other reason than they were just drat good actors. The art direction in the movie is wonderful, as is the music by Lalo Schifrin (who gave you other classic scores like Planet of the Apes and Mission Impossible). I don't know what the message of this movie really is. In the case of The Shawshank Redemption, you have a wrongly accused man who fights for his own freedom and uplifts his fellow inmates along the way. Cool Hand Luke doesn't really aim that high. Luke doesn't just want to escape from prison, but he wants to escape from responsibility. To Luke, the whole world is just one big prison. It's a great character study that would make a great live stage show, too. Directory Stuart Rosenberg, who passed away in 2007, made another prison film in 1980, Brubaker, which I'll be watching next.
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Jul 21, 2008 23:32
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