One of those character studies that’s still a pretty great watch, even though it probably doesn’t pack as much punch as it did in the 60s. I love how you can feel the emerging New Hollywood/punk spirit in this. It’s not the most bold or forward thinking conceptually but what it captures feels raw and honest. There’s also a playful side to this film which can be found in the dialogue and performances, however the tone always feels very controlled. It boasts some strong performances and character work, Luke’s arc doesn’t develop in the way I expected but I was still satisfied with the note it left on. Looking back on the experience, it feels like the type of film that must’ve been hugely influential to someone like Scorsese, at the very least thematically. Visually it’s immaculate; the blocking, framing and movement feel precise and purposeful. Early on there’s a scene where you get a look into the mind of these sex depraved characters and the way that’s captured just through exaggerated visual storytelling is brilliant (and I’m sure relatable to everyone at some point). There are so many great shots and edits that left an impression of me (any wide shot of the crew working in the burning sun; the western style zooms and edits which show up every now and then). I also enjoyed the strong country influence on the score, though on a few occasions it can feel goofy and of its time.

8/10

A listless former soldier gets himself arrested on a triviality, then shipped off to serve two years of hard labor on a sweaty deep south chain gang. There, he establishes a strong reputation with the inmates and tests his limits with the guards before tiring of the tough conditions and attempting escape. Evidently, prison wasn’t the panacea Luke sought and his particular brand of stir crazy still thrives behind bars. Shame, then, that this isn’t a hotel and he can’t check out on a whim. Upon re-capture, his relationship, with both guards and prisoners, changes overnight and he grows increasingly unraveled.

Paul Newman is superb as the confused, complex character at the center of all this noise. At the best of times, we’re drawn in by the raw strength of his personality, his anti-authority vigor and his chummy, jovial wit. At worst, we see why he’s never been able to maintain a serious long-term relationship with anyone, including his immediate family. He has a nasty tendency to self-sabotage when trapped or complacent, and to suddenly turn on those he once held dear when things aren’t going his way. His closest pal in the clink, the long-tenured camp leader Dragline (portrayed by a fresh-faced George Kennedy), experiences both sides of this duality. Luke will go through hell for you in the morning, then spit on your corpse in the evening. Their friendship confounds Dragline, start to finish, and leaves him a changed man at the end of the picture. Much like the viewer.

"What we've got here is... failure to communicate."

Paul Newman and George Kennedy both suck you right into this one. Two amazing performances! Anyway Cool Hand Luke has some scenes I won't forget any time soon. Like the egg eating scene, Luke who keeps getting up and never stops, Luke in that hole he dug with those chains around his feet. All amazingly performed by Paul Newman. But with the two leads in Paul Newman and George Kennedy (in a oscar winning performance) on top of their game, nothing could go wrong! Like Dragline (George Kennedy) says at the end, that smile Luke (Paul Newman) had, the Luke Smile was such a great thing to see. You really got the feeling those bosses and guards couldn't beat him, he would never give up. You see that in every scene. The egg eating, boxing, escaping. It was just such a joy to watch.

The movie is also very beautifully shot! Which helps out too! Along side a fantastic soundtrack and cast, this film based on Donn Pearce's 1965 novel of the same name should be seen by anyone who likes movies. It's cool, it's great, it's amazing. I just can't do it justice with words at the moment! Just enjoy it!

Oh Luke you wild beautiful thing!

Luke (Paul Newman) lands himself in a Deep South prison farm for drunkenly cutting the heads off of parking meters. Once at the farm Luke refuses to be ground down by the system and its grinning warden (a brilliant Strother Martin). As things role by Luke becomes something of a hero to his fellow inmates and this is not lost on the authority in charge of the farm. Things are sure to come to a head as Luke rebels to the point of no return...

Division of Corrections. Road Prison 36.

The close examination of Cool Hand Luke over the years has rightly thrown up the fact that it's a Christ allegory. Which is just fine given that Stuart Rosenberg's film is one of the finest films that the 60s had to offer. It also boasts, arguably of course, the Paul Newman signature role (yes even better than The Hustler). As the title suggests, Cool Hand Luke, both the film and character, there is a great deal of cool here, in fact for a great deal of the first half of movie it's laced with comic touches as we warm easily to the "rebel against the system" machismo and charm that Newman provides as Lukas Jackson. Yet the film then shifts considerably at the mid-point to give us something far more potent and dramatic to alter any preconceptions the audience had of this just being a movie about a macho loner earning our sympathy.

Calling it your job don't make it right Boss.

Much in the film has been firmly ensconced in the memorable moments department, 50 eggs, tar that road quickly, the "Kick a Buck" poker game, "still shaking boss", a mountain of rice to be eaten, sneezing bloodhounds, the boxing match and one of the greatest and most iconic of tag-lines ever, "what we got here is a failure to communicate", all forming part of a truly great whole. However, revisiting the picture often brings the realisation that so much more is on offer than at first thought. Luke is a real war hero (this has been missed by both pro and amateur critics) whose crime is pretty tame for the sentence he finds himself faced with. The Dragline (George Kennedy kicking up a storm of acting quality) and Luke friendship that builds with grace and thunder, sexual frustration of the incarcerated male and a mother and son arc that attacks the soul and lets Newman show many of his acting peers just how grief should be acted out on screen...

"Well, I don't care if it rains or freezes, Long as I have my plastic Jesus, Riding on the dashboard of my car. Through all trials and tribulations, We will travel every nation, With my plastic Jesus I'll go far"

With Newman, Kennedy and Martin holding court with every scene they are in, it would be easy at first glance to ignore the supporting roles, but Rosenberg ensures that supporting players make telling marks. It's a roll call of sweaty and twitchy character actors that features the likes of Anthony Zerbe, Joe Don Baker, Clifton James, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Morgan Woodward, Wayne Rogers and J.D. Cannon. Filmed in Technicolor and Panavision, Rosenberg and cinematographer Conrad Hall do an amazing job of making Stockton, California feel like the actual Deep South. Film unfolds to the backdrop of a sun drenched land inhabited by life's unfortunates and the supposed upstanding face of American officialdom...

Iconography and martyrdom unbound, Cool Hand Luke is a slow-burn classic of deep thematic worth. 10/10