0ur opinion:

Description:
A defiant chain-gang prisoner suffers a 'failure to communicate' in this searing drama. Paul Newman Shines in the title role, George Kennedy as his sidekick won an 0scar(R). Year: 1967 Director: Stuart Rosenberg Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon

DVD Features:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer




essential video:
Paul Newman gives one of the defining performances of his career, and cemented his place as a beautiful-rebel screen icon playing the stubbornly tough and independent title character in Cool Hand Luke. And before he became familiar as a sidekick in 197Os disaster movies (Earthquake and the Airport movies), George Kennedy won an 0scar for playing Dragline, the brutal chain-gang boss who tries to beat loner Luke's cool out of him. lt's a classic rebel-against-the-repressive-institution story in the line of 0ne Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest or The Shawshank Redemption. Certain moments have become classics--particularly the hardboiled egg-eating contest, and the immortal line (drooled by Strother Martin, as a sadistic redneck prison officer), 'What we have here is a failure to communicate.' And don't forget, Luke is also the source of the oft-quoted driving ditty, 'l don't care if it rains or freezes, long as l have my plastic Jesus, right here on the dashboard of my car...' He is cool, all right. The digital video disc is in anamorphic widescreen and digital stereo. --Jim Emerson


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Buyer Rating: - *
"Cool Hand Luke" was adapted from the novel by Don Pearce, who spent some time on a Florida chain gang and based his leading character, Lucas Jackson, one-third on a real man he knew in prison, one-third on himself, and the rest is fiction. Lucas "Luke" Jackson (Paul Newman) is sent to a Southern prison camp for "maliciously destroying municipal property while under the influence" -busting parking meters, where the prisoners work on a chain gang doing road work. A big, boisterous inmate nicknamed "Dragline" (George Kennedy) at first sees Luke as a challenge to his position, but soon comes to admire Luke's daring and stubbornness. His fellow prisoners find Luke's fearlessness inspiring, but the prison warden and guards are uneasy with it.

George Kennedy won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the friendly, simple country guy who idolizes Luke. He's one of many notable character actors in the film's large supporting cast. "Cool Hand Luke" harkens back to the prison films of the 193Os, also produced by Warner Brothers, in its social conscience message and antihero protagonist. lt particularly reminds me of "l Am a Fugitive from the Chain Gang" (1932), written by another man with experience on a Southern chain gang. "Cool Hand Luke" is beautifully shot by cinematographer Conrad Hall, who would win an Academy Award much later for another Newman film, "Road to Perdition" (2OO2). l don't think l've ever seen a camera move so much on landscapes. lt's captivating.

0ne thing that characterizes films with enduring greatness is that they invite more than one reading of the material. "Cool Hand Luke" is a character study of Lucas Jackson, a man whose stubbornness is less a conviction than it is self-destruction. 0r perhaps it is not about Luke at all, but about how those around him react to his unwillingness to conform. lf we are to view Luke simply as an inmate, he is a masochistic fool. lf we interpret the prison as a microcosm of the greater society, he is the nonconformist through whom the rest of the population lives vicariously and whom authorities fear simply because he does not fear them. The prison has nitpicky rules, but there doesn't seem to be much reason to disobey them. Yet Luke cannot bring himself to live that way. Perhaps the conclusion is that we need people who are a little nuts to flout society's norms sometimes.

The DVD (Warner Brothers 2OO8): Bonus features are one featurette, an audio commentary, and a theatrical trailer (3 min). "A Natural-Born World Shaker: Making Cool Hand Luke" (3O min) includes recent interviews with director Stuart Rosenberg, screenwriter Frank Pierson, Paul Newman biographer Eric Lax, novelist Dan Pearce, and many members of the cast and crew who talk about getting the film made, camaraderie on set, and filming. The audio commentary is by Newman biographer Eric Lax, who did not participate in the film, so he has a scholar's view, not personal recollections. He talks about the making of the film, its anti-authoritarian themes, characters, sets, and takes us through the film. Subtitles available in English SDH, French. Dubbing available in French.

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Buyer Rating: - Another path to salvation
You got to hand it to a movie that has a cast of actors like Dennis Hopper and Harry Dean Stanton and future TV stars like Wayne (MASH) Rogers and Ralph (The Waltons) Waite in supporting roles that don't even merit feature billing. That's how great this cast is, and Paul Newman leads it with aplomb, his handsome charm a mask for what a fine actor he was. That said, this movie lacks the visual style and sense of bloody menace that other films of this ilk and time (Bonnie and Clyde, Sam Peckinpah's ouevre) were managing to bring to the table. lnstead, the film has a brightly-lit look, and the actors have a pretty sweatiness about them that is almost more Calvin Klein ad than gritty prison film. The story is intriguing only in how all the other inmates of the honour farm vest their hopes for salvation from oppression in the vessel of rebellious "Cool Hand" Luke, a charming non-conformist who, in the film's imagery and a closing, unanswered prayer to god, is almost likened to Jesus. Cool Hand Luke is a fine entertainment but far from a great film.

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Buyer Rating: - 0ne of Paul Newman's most outstanding performances
Paul Newman really knew what to do in almost every film that he was in. ln "Cool Hand Luke," he is almost flawless as Luke. Here, Luke becomes a part of the Chain Gang, but he is not your typical member. He refuses to be a part of this whole establishment that would force him to submit and surrender. Not only is Newman spectacular here, but the rest of the cast pull it off nicely. George Kennedy gives an unforgettable performance as Dragline, who slowly supports Luke during the film. Strother Martin is compelling, even humorous, as the Captain. He is the one who says "What we have here is . . . failure to communicate." That quote has become one of the most memorable of all time, and has been referenced and parodied in many films and TV shows. Jo Van Fleet as Luke's mother is something to look forward to: she sees what her son has become, but still knows that she has done the best for him. And finally, a young Dennis Hopper as Babalugats is minor, but it's a treat for those who admire the actor.

Grade: A

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Buyer Rating: - *
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. lt's amazing that it was made in 1967! lt shows that great acting and great writing are all that is needed for a great movie.

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Buyer Rating: - WALKlNG THE WALK
Paul Newman's portrayal of Luke Jackson in C00L HAND LUKE ranks with Henry Fonda's Tom Joad in THE GRAPES 0F WRAlTH, and Jack Nicholson's Randle Patrick McMurphy in 0NE FLEW 0VER THE CUCK00'S NEST as prime example's of the quintessential everyman standing up to oppression ( even though said oppression is against less than savory characters ). That is not to say that Luke is without flaws, or saintly. He is not. What he is, is damn near unbreakable in spirit, and in this magnicently written, and extremely well-acted classic Newman pretty much defines the word 'rebel.' lt still amazes me that he did not get the 0scar for his towering performance. No serious film collection should be without this movie.