Cool Hand Luke

Media:	DVD
Directed by:	Stuart Rosenberg
Starring:	Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin
Release date:	08 February, 2005
List price:	~~$14.96~~
Our price:	$11.22 that is 25% off!

Cool Hand Luke

Average rating: Stars

Great Classic - 5 Stars

This movie is a must have for anyone that is a big, or small fan of Paul Newman. George Kennedy is equally as great & keeps the movie going. The egg eating scene is within itself a must see & seems so real, I can almost feel my own stomach swell. Strother Martin is cool & collect with the line, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate". I give this classic 5 stars.

Cool Hand Luke - Paul Newman, George Kennedy and more

Cool Hand Newman

There's a line in the movie Ordinary People that I can't help but associate with this movie, to paraphrase it, it's something like don't idolize someone too much, cause it'll disappoint you. Luke (Newman) was somehow in that situation he's become such a hero to the other prisoners that he can't disappoint them. Even when he told the truth about the fake photo and the final escape (you've got to watch it for context), they turn it into something that will support their "hero" fantasy. In short they're into the image and not the person. In Luke's darkest hour they all left him, somehow implying their shallow relationship.

The character Luke is enigmatic, it's really hard to tell with certainty why he is the way he is. Paul Newman embodied the role perfectly, this might be his most beloved role of his career probably even more than Butch Cassidy and "Fast" Eddie Felson. Paul Newman exhibited great range as an actor, he got to be this really intense guy and then play the "cool" guy and then he's got to be really quietly moving without making any big acting dramatics. He is truly one of the best actors.

There are lots of great moments particularly the now famous and infamous "egg-eating contest". Or how about the numerous attempts of Luke to get out of jail and then eventually recaptured. The big fight between Dragline and Luke and then tragic finale of the film. There are so many great moments in this film and I just hope the DVD will be re-released. How cool it would be to have a Paul Newman commentary!

Grade: A

Paul Newman, George Kennedy and more - Cool Hand Luke

What we have here is a failure to communicate

Cool Hand Luke is a great movie from the 60s that features one of Paul Newman's best performances. After slicing the heads off of parking meters, Lucas Jackson is sent to work on a chain gang for two years. At first, Luke is disliked by many of his fellow inmates, but with time he comes to earn their respect. However, Luke is the rebellious type and refuses to be broken down by authority. This is a great movie about a rebel who refuses to give in to authority no matter what the consequences. Luke is somewhat of an outcast who has never fit in with the "norm" of society. Cool Hand Luke is full of famous scenes/lines like the "What we have here is a failure to communicate" line or the eating 50 eggs in an hour scene, but overall the movie is about one's man refusal to live the norm. Highly recommended if you have not seen it.

Paul Newman gives one of his best performances as Lucas Jackson, a rebellious prisoner on a chain gang who refuses to give up or be beaten down by authority. Newman's Luke is a man who struggles with the hand he has been dealt in life, and tries to overcome those problems. George Kennedy won a Best Supporting Oscar for his role as Dragline, a fellow member of the chain gang who becomes Luke's friend. Strother Martin is excellent as the Captain, the warden of the facility who delivers the "communication" line. In a brief, one-scene part, Jo Van Fleet is perfect as Arletta, Luke's dying mother. The chain gang is a huge list of character actors including JD Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Harry Dean Stanton, Wayne Rogers, and a young Dennis Hopper. The movie also stars Morgan Woodward as Boss Godfrey, "No Eyes," Luke Askew, Anthony Zerbe, and Clifton James.

This is a movie that deserves a 2-disc special edition DVD, not the lousy cardboard Warner Brothers version with no extras other than a trailer and widescreen presentation. Moviegoers obviously love this movie so why isn't there a Special Edition DVD out there? Still, this is a classic movie and a must-have overall, so don't let this DVD scare you away.