Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Dennis Hopper and Harry Dean Stanton
Grade: Classic

Even if I were to never use it, Luke’s bottle cap necklace is a must-have.

Summary

In early 1950s Florida, drunken World War II veteran Luke Jackson (Newman) cuts off the heads of a bunch of parking meters one night and is caught and arrested. Through the credits, prisoners on a chain gang are doing yard work with Walking Boss Godfrey (Morgan Woodward) keeping an eye on all of them including Dragline (Kennedy), Koko (Lou Antonio), Gambler (Wayne Rogers), Rabbit (Marc Cavell), Society (J. D. Cannon), and Babalugats (Hopper). As they work, a new prison bus drives by, which means new guys are coming. Of course, Luke is one of them.

At the prison camp, Boss Paul (Luke Askew) has everyone line up. The Captain (Martin) reads everyone’s descriptions off to get an idea of what he’s dealing with. There is Gibson who is in for two years for manslaughter, though he insists it was an accident and he’s never been in trouble for anything. There is Edgar Potter who is in for one year for resisting arrest, and Raymond Pratt who’s there for five years for breaking, entering, and assault. Then, there’s Luke, who got in trouble for the stupidest thing possible and got two years for it. Even Captain admits they have never had anyone do what Luke did at his camp before. He reads off Luke’s war resume and is impressed by his Silver Star, Bronze Star, a couple of Purple Hearts, and title of Seargent. However, he doesn’t understand why Luke managed to still be discharged as a buck private. Luke downplays all of this and talks about how he was just passing through. Even so, Captain gives them all a basic outline of the camp and says he can be a good guy or a mean son of a bitch. It’s all up to them on how things will go. He’s responsible for order in there and any man who doesn’t keep order spends a night in the box. Following this, they are walked in, and floor walker Carr (Clifton James) gives them a basic set of rules to follow at rapid pace. They are given certain clothes and spoons and if they lose either, they will spend a night in the box. If they have to fight someone, it has to be Saturday afternoon. Anyone who fights outside of this timeframe or in the building spends a night in the box. Anyone who is not in their bunk by 8PM spends a night in the box. Anyone caught smoking in bed in the wrong position spends a night in the box. This goes on and on and includes rules about cleaning the sheets, dirty pants, those who don’t bring back their empty pop bottle, loud talking, and whatever else. All of the punishments go back to spending a night in the box.

The final time Carr mentions that they will have to spend a night in the box, Luke finishes the sentence for him, prompting Carr to take notice of him. The rest of the prisoners enter the building, and they see there are only four of the new guys, so one prisoner wins a bet. Another asks if the new guys are from Connecticut, but none of them respond. Finally, Carr tells the new guys to go out and get some work done.

That night, all the prisoners hang out and Edgar Potter gets into an argument with another guy for taking his seat. Dragline tells him to mind his manners because he’s acting like a hillbilly tramp, which leads to Potter being nicknamed “Tramp” (Stanton). When Dragline tries to get tough with the new guys, Luke starts laughing as he overhears him. Dragline calls him out, but Luke downplays it and introduces himself, though one prisoner says Luke doesn’t have a name until Dragline gives him one. Dragline jokingly suggests they should call him No Ears because he doesn’t listen. They offer to deal him into the poker game, but Luke declines. Later, they all go to sleep, with Babalugats notably finishing a prayer and Luke having trouble getting to sleep because the one light left on in the room is right by his bunk. The next morning, the prisoners exit the camp, count their number out loud for the guards, and head into the truck. Walking Boss Godfrey is watching them all. In the truck, Koko talks to the new guys about how hot it’s going to be and how working in the ditch is a terrible job, but his broom job is a bit more of a cushion. He considers selling it to them, and Gibson buys it for a $1. Dragline makes a dig at Luke for being a war hero and mentions how he got caught breaking “gumball machines” and everyone laughs. Once again, Luke just downplays it and laughs it off. Once they get to the site, Gibson tries to explain his arrangement with Koko to Boss Paul, but Boss Paul refuses to listen. They go through their field work, and it’s hotter than hell outside. Luke is working extra hard, so one of the others tells him to slow it down so he can last. After Gibson passes out, they all have lunch.

While they eat their cornbread and beans, Dragline bets a few others a cold drink that Luke won’t last, so they bring over Babalugats to make it official. They continue through their day and the new guys observe Godfrey. He doesn’t say anything. He just sends one of the prisoners to grab the end to his rifle, he attaches it and shoots a bird out of the sky. At the end of the day, they all head back into the truck, and Luke comments to Dragline that he owes his friend a cold drink. When they get back to camp, the guards say Gibson was complaining, so he’s sent to the box. Once the prisoners all get ready for bed, Dragline tries to make a dig at Luke being tired because he’s already in his bed, but Luke just says he needs a little nap and will be back at it in the morning. One guy feels bad for Gibson because the broom thing was a joke, and he shouldn’t be in the box, but another says it taught Gibson a valuable lesson. Dragline defends their hazing because Gibson needs to learn the boss’s rules, so Luke sarcastically agrees with him by saying the bosses sure need all the help they can get. Dragline gets annoyed by this and tries to respond, but they are interrupted by Carr ringing the last bell for them to go to bed. Sometime after, the prisoners are out in the daytime doing work again, and Dragline spots a blonde woman exiting her house and everyone takes notice. He refers to her as Lucille (Joy Harmon), despite not actually knowing her name. They’re all infatuated by her, and she knows exactly what she’s doing too. She washes her car in the most seductive way possible, knowing all these prisoners are gawking at her and can’t do a thing about it.

That night, there’s almost a fight in the shower over Babalugats singing and being an idiot and another guy defending him.

As everyone tries to sleep, Dragline keeps everyone up by talking about Lucille, so Luke tells him to stop because it’s not going to do anyone any good. This pisses off Dragline enough to challenge him to a fight the next day. In their Saturday afternoon fight, the two are given boxing gloves and Dragline mops the floor with Luke. However, every time Luke is knocked down, he keeps getting back up. The prisoners actually stop cheering, as it gets uncomfortable for everyone watching because of how many shots he takes. Dragline even tells him to stay down, but Luke refuses. Eventually, Dragline walks away as does everyone else, with a beaten and battered Luke stumbling around but still standing. That night, they all play poker and Luke beats Koko and everyone with Dragline watching. He was completely bluffing. His hand was a whole lot of nothing, as Dragline guessed. He relates it to Luke coming at him in that fight over and over again with nothing. Opening his beer with his bottle opener necklace, Luke calmly states the facts with a smile.

“Yeah well…Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.”

Dragline smiles and sits in for the next game next to Luke. Some time passes, and the work continues. Later, Luke gets a visit from his mother Arletta (Jo Van Fleet), who is lying in the bed of Luke’s brother John’s truck. They discuss John, Helen, Luke’s father that he didn’t know, a girl he broke up with that Arletta liked but he freaked out when it came to marrying her potentially, and Luke’s general situation being disappointing. Arletta is also honest in saying she won’t be alive by the time Luke gets out. As they smoke together, and Arletta practically coughs up a lung, she talks about her preferential treatment to him over his brother John, which is why she’s giving John the house. Upon leaving, Luke gives his nephew Sam advice and talks about how he doesn’t want to end up in a place like where he’s at. Then, John hands Luke his banjo and says, “Now, there ain’t nothing to come back for”. Privately, Arletta weeps in the back of the truck as they drive off. Later on, Tramp sings and plays a somber tune on his guitar. More time passes and the work never ends. One day, Boss Paul talks about their new task. It’s tarring the road and shoveling dirt onto it. It’s exhausting work, but Luke decides to do it fast and inspires the others with his positive attitude. Once Dragline follows suit, everyone starts working at Luke’s pace and he’s starting to make it fun in a way. It’s infectious, and Boss Paul, the guards, and Godfrey are taking notice because of how out of the ordinary it is. They finish two hours early and laugh together when Luke says they should do nothing for the rest of the time.

He’s winning the prisoners over and will eventually unseat Dragline as the leader (respectfully). Unfortunately, the upper brass of the prison are taking notice of Luke’s defiant, as well as inspiring antics, and they don’t like it. As a result, they will do everything in their power to break Luke mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

My Thoughts:

In the midst of the Vietnam War and a rise in anti-establishment attitudes among the next generation, Hollywood took notice of the counterculture’s influence in the mainstream and released a lot of films that encapsulated the growing resentment towards authority. One of these films is the era-defining Cool Hand Luke. Perfectly capturing this period of time with an authentic main character that any moviegoer can gravitate towards and resonate with, Cool Hand Luke is both one of the best movies of the 1960s and one of the greatest of all time.

This iconic prison drama begins and ends with the enigmatic Paul Newman. Just as the film helped define its era, Newman’s role as Luke Jackson could be looked at his career-defining role. Already having the reputation of being one of the coolest actors to ever grace the silver screen, Newman takes his natural charisma and low-key style and mixes it with a West Virginia accent to give us once again, one of the coolest characters ever. Usually, this moniker tends to go to action hero characters or badass protagonists that don’t take shit from anyone, but Luke is able to be this person by redefining the word and the traits attributed to it. The characterization goes completely against the grain of what usually works. He doesn’t put on an act, he doesn’t try to be tough, and he doesn’t try to win anyone over. Luke is just himself at every turn. He keeps his head down and does his thing but gets attention because of how different he is from everyone else. When everyone else is trying to fit in or win over someone like Dragline, Luke keeps to himself and laughs off any kind of comments hurled towards his way when the others try to bother him, as he is secure and confident in who he is. Not only is he defiant to the guards, but he’s defiant to Dragline and everyone else. It doesn’t matter how he’s perceived by the others because Luke doesn’t care. He doesn’t have any interest in winning anyone over but because of this, everyone starts to become interested in his style. Being the one who goes against the norm will do that at times. It demands attention even if it was never the intention. It’s the work of a natural born leader, a role Luke doesn’t even want nor care for. Sure, he accepts it because he’s there, but it wouldn’t make a difference to Luke either way. You can see it in those blue eyes of his. Luke is going to be Luke. Along with that infectious smile of his and his cool attitude under any kind of pressure, you can’t help but follow his lead in the heat of battle. His presence unites the prisoners even more and his refusal to follow in any direction but his own inspires everyone around him.

The unquestioned leader in Dragline can’t help but start to like him either. Though he’s bothered by Luke’s style at first, everything changes after their fight. Being the leader of the prisoners who commands respect from everyone, Dragline being challenged by Luke because of his undermining comments lead to them not getting along, though it’s more just Dragline rather than a mutual thing. Regardless, this fight sequence is crucial in showing how powerful Luke is as a presence. Instead of being the ass-kicker you’d expect in a situation like this, Luke takes the opposite approach and gets beaten down. Over and over again, Luke takes another hard shot to the face by Dragline and can’t do a single thing about it. It doesn’t matter though. This isn’t who he is. Luke just keeps getting up, choosing to be a threat in the most peaceful, Christ-like way possible. When he says, “You’re going to have to kill me”, he 100% means it and this undefeatable spirit of his carries into the very end. Even when he loses his last fight, the spirit of “Cool Hand” Luke lives on through those prisoners who still speak fondly of the lasting memories he gave them, going along with the allegories of Christ in relation to our protagonist. Luke may not be a traditional hero, but he is a hero and touches the lives of everyone he crosses paths with because of his defiance and refusal to give up when any normal man would. There is nothing he needs to say to inspire or motivate others. His actions do all the talking, and the guards start to take notice of the threat Luke can be, without being what people may consider a “tough” guy. The Captain had everything under control until Luke came along, but him and his staff can’t help but double take at the influence someone like Luke has because of how different he is compared to the others who will fall in line without question. It makes him a target but also a martyr at the same time, increasing his legend as the years go by.

When I say this, I’m speaking not only of his legend within the world of the movie but also in real-life film studies.

Had Luke won the fight with Dragline handily and in a more traditional way, the story as a whole would not have the same impact. However, Luke technically losing but continuously getting up to the point where everyone leaves because it’s too much makes the action meaningful, powerful, and incredibly endearing, winning over everyone there along with the audience, though the audience doesn’t necessarily need it since everyone falls in love with Luke after seeing him chuckle right before he’s arrested in the opening sequence. Regardless, there’s a certain strength in his refusal to give up. It takes a powerful man to win others over with actions like his, but it’s handled so well by Paul Newman that the viewer can’t help but smile every time he does. Losing the matchup against Dragline oddly begins his path to winning the others over whether he meant to or not. It’s just who he is. Again, it’s just Luke being Luke. He doesn’t put on an act, and he admits he has never planned anything in his life, which explains how he got into prison in the first place and how he responds with each escape attempt. He has no strategy. He just lives moment to moment and deals with the consequences. Because we become such huge fans of Luke by the end of the film, we want to assume (just like Dragline does) that the scene in which he gives in to the Captain and the following scenes where he loses the respect of the prisoners because of it was all a part of a plan to gain the trust of Godfrey, the Captain, and all the guards to pull off one last escape attempt. In reality, Luke has no shame in admitting they did break him. They did win this battle, and he was forced to retreat. However, the defiance was still going to be there. The spirit of Luke could never be taken out completely, as he tells Dragline, “…but they didn’t get my mind right”. Even at his lowest, Luke was going to rebel. Even if he did take a few losses along the way, his DNA was never going to change.

Also, his penchant for going with the flow also makes sense of him agreeing to eating the 50 hardboiled eggs simply because it was a good “round number”, and it will “give me something to do”. Only someone with no plan would agree to such an outlandish bet.

Luke is a decorated war veteran but deflects any time it’s brought up, which is a shame because I really want to know how he managed to be discharged as a buck private. Surely that warrants a story. Even so, he’s just “passing by”, just like he says. They could have easily had a scene where his war exploits are described by himself or by other characters to show why he’s a hero, but it would have detracted from the presentation of the character. It was never needed to endear us to him. We see enough when Godfrey shoots a snake out of his hand, and he doesn’t even flinch. All Luke does is smile because he isn’t intimidated by the silent villain that everyone else is petrified of. He’s indifferent under pressure, and this fearlessness intimidates people like Godfrey. It gets under his skin, which is why it’s more impactful when Luke messes with him right after by adding how Godfrey “sure can shoot”. Luke’s accolades don’t have to be listed off to prove his confidence. The comments and his subsequent actions are enough. Even after he’s caught and brought back after his first attempt, his smile is present as if to say, “Ah, you got me”. He didn’t try to act tough towards anyone or admit defeat. At most, his sarcasm gets him in trouble like when he slyly comments in front of everyone, “I wish you’d stop being so good to me Captain”, leading him to being struck down and the Captain going on with the infamous “Failure to communicate” speech. Knowing the potential consequences, Luke just accepts what is going on and makes it known he won’t lay down for anyone, whether it be the authority that resides over him or the other so-called “leaders” of the prison camp itself. Luke is naturally a defiant person and will do his own thing for better or worse. When everyone else falls in line to authority, they can’t help but take notice at the odd man out. Luke being uncaring of the attention he’s getting makes him even cooler, which is why it’s so easy to see why this character and his journey through this story coincides so seamlessly with the counterculture of the 60s.

Luke just looks down, smiles, and wins us over by doing the literal opposite of everything the stereotypical “cool” character would do, as the character is written in defiance of the cliché just as it is in the performance and the action stemming from it. On top of Newman having “it” as a movie star without trying, Cool Hand Luke is an example of the stars aligning in every aspect to convey such a message without directly saying a single thing.

There is no doubt that there is much more to Luke that meets the surface, as seen by his attitude in everyday situations, his intelligence during his escapes (crisscrossing over the barbwire to get the dogs scent screwed up was genius), and the emotion he holds from within in regard to his family and general position in life. Though it could be Luke just being a quiet guy in general, it could also be seen as him not wanting to leave his guard down when being surrounded by potential threats. When he starts to become aware of his status among the prisoners, he does everything possible to not give in to the pressure around him. Though it’s more subconsciously, it’s still present. Unfortunately, it becomes a battle between Luke by his lonesome and the guards, and something had to give, as his leadership among the prisoners and his ability to escape several times over undermines the authority the prison has. They have to break Luke. Otherwise, they lose control. So, they practically torture our hero with the hole-digging sequence, and it’s heartbreaking because there is no way out. He is completely at the mercy of the guards and is forced to suffer as their sacrifice. The audience sees the pain he goes through as do the prisoners, especially since they hang on to his every word like puppies at this point. Their hearts break for him too, with Tramp’s rendition of “No Grave Gonna Keep My Body Down” giving you goosebumps as Luke uses every ounce of strength to maintain his rebellious attitude while fighting this battle alone. It gets to the point where when Luke does show vulnerability in a rare glimpse of weakness, the viewer becomes overcome with emotion. If it got to Luke, it’s bad.

But what?! He’s our hero! No one can beat “Cool Hand” Luke!

Nevertheless, Luke has moments where he is exposed for being a human just like the rest of us, reminding the prisoners and moviegoers that even our defiant hero can be defeated. We can prop him up all we want just like the others do, but this world will do everything to break a man’s spirit when he tries to play it tough. You can’t help but see yourself in him, which is why Cool Hand Luke has continued to live on. At every turn, we try to act like nothing bothers us and we do our best to show no weaknesses because we don’t want to admit defeat, but sometimes life hits us and it’s hard to get back up. Death is one of these things, as everyone responds differently to it. In Luke’s case, it begins his path to further his rebellion. It wasn’t the manual labor. It was the death of his mother Arletta. It changes something inside Luke, who was originally fine with serving his time and scraping by. However, that event broke something inside of him and woke up Luke to the reality of his situation. Piling on is the cruelty from the guards. Their response to the devastating news is the decision to send Luke to the box to avoid the possibility that he may want to escape the prison to attend the funeral, despite him never attempting anything bad before this. Even the guard that puts Luke in there apologizes by saying he’s just doing his job, with the somber Luke responding, “Nah, calling it your job don’t make it right boss”.

When life hits hard, it can be unforgiving, and this couldn’t be truer when Luke gets that fateful, chain reaction-setting telegram that Arletta passed away. Beforehand, Arletta saw him during a conjugal visit, and the combination of her deteriorating health and Luke internalizing every word she says to him, leads to them both coming to the unofficial conclusion that this might be the last time they see each other. With the way Luke reacts, the viewer can see that this is the first time he has feelings of regret because of the situation he’s in. For the first time in seemingly a long time, he’s faced with his own mortality and the realization of all the time he lost because of his own actions. It’s not about why he’s in prison. He cares more about how he was the favorite son and is now in a situation where he can’t be with his family because of his own doing. Luke put himself there for being, well, Luke. It’s not until this conversation with Arletta where it starts to eat at him, getting him to understand that he has screwed up and there is no going back. When he’s given the news of Arletta’s death, the sadness he exudes immediately upon reading the letter to himself speaks volumes. Paul Newman in this scene alone was Oscar-worthy. Taking the slow walk to his bunk, everyone in the room takes notice because the word travels fast. Always the coolest guy in the room who is usually brandishing a contagious smile across his face, Luke’s sadness is just as infectious. Because of this, all the prisoners hang their heads in honor of him, as they can all relate to their hero losing his mother. Seeing someone who is always in a positive mood broken, hurts everyone there. With this, Luke sits there and sings the gut-wrenching “Plastic Jesus” while playing his banjo. The internal agony resonates with everyone around him as they watch in silence, but he powers through to finish the song. The aches and pains of his reality is present with every lyric as well as his voice wavering in and out, but Luke tries his hardest not to cry, much like how a lot of us react in similar emotional circumstances.

No matter who you are, it’s a scene that can affect or resonate with even the most unflinching of people. It’s an unforgettable moment and the most importance scene of the movie, showing us that not even Luke is untouchable. Every time I come across the scene and watch the expression of Luke as he sings through the pain, I can’t help but get goosebumps.

Tearing up here, boss!

Some people have taken issue over the years with Luke’s monologue in the church in the climax of the film because some of it can be seen as a bit contradictory and/or redundant with the preceding comments and actions of the main character. Though I can see this argument and am willing to concede that it shouldn’t have been that wordy, I don’t entirely agree because it does go along with Luke’s moments of weakness when things get serious. He can’t be cool and low-key the entire time. He reacts with emotion here and there just like all of us like when he gets caught the second time and flips out in anger after admitting the picture he took with the two women was a fake because they won’t stop putting him on this pedestal. He’s exhausted, and he has a right to show these signs of weakness even if it does take away from his “coolness”. Can you blame him? Well, the prisoners do because they didn’t think it was possible for someone as tough as Luke to give up (“That old box will fall apart before Luke calls it quits”). Koko rips up the picture he sent them because he loses respect for our protagonist and the others take food off Luke’s plate to voice their displeasure, even though any one of those guys would’ve given up much quicker if they were in the same situation. Additionally, he never asked to be their hero, which is such a big part of his appeal. It was just a role thrust upon him, which was never fair. Sadly, it was just the cards he was dealt and who he has become as a person, something that always irked him and leads to his later discussions with God. You might not like it, but it is wrapped up logically. There’s also the moment when he asks for God to basically strike him down in the rain, yelling how he can have his life anytime he wants to. To the very end, he has a complicated relationship with God and uses those final moments to ask for answers. Though a lot of what happens is because of his own doing, something he admits in his monologue, he speaks to the roof of the church and talks about how he wasn’t given any cards to win out either.

It does take the mystique away from Luke but admitting his humanity in these final moments and in private only further the fact that Luke is more than meets the eye. At every turn, he was always there to surprise us. Dragline running back in and giving him the option to give up was the best way to complete his character arc and brings us full circle, as Luke smiles once more asking the lord, “Is that your answer old man?”. Dragline tries to sell him on the idea that everything will be back to normal and for him to just play it cool. When he responds with, “Like I always do, huh?”, the foreshadowing almost hurts, but you wouldn’t want it any other way because that’s “Cool Hand” Luke, defiant to the very end. As he smiles that “Luke smile” of his, the natural born world-shaker uplifts you even in passing. It’s not because he leaves us either, but rather because he existed. Sometimes, that is just as powerful.

Though it’s all centered on our star, George Kennedy is great as Dragline, a hardass prisoner whose opinion of Luke changes completely from when he first meets him, mirroring our own reaction to the character. It’s a day and night switch. He starts out with an attitude and wants to shove Luke into a corner, but Luke’s demeanor and personality are both so endearing that it turns Dragline into a follower and a fan. He doesn’t even realize it until the third act when he goes with Luke on an escape attempt. Once Luke plans on separating from Dragline to do his own thing, it wakes him up to realize that he had no idea what came over him because he only had a couple of years left, but Luke’s aura essentially changed his fate. The silent presentation of Godfrey and his mirrored sunglasses is also enough to speak volumes to how much of a threat he is. A few defining closeups is all he needs to make his mark.

Though it’s considered to be one of the premier prison films in terms of showcasing how awful conditions can be, this is arguably the weakest point of the movie. Almost 85% of the time, the group is hacking away at weeds in the sun. The last 15% is the scene where they are working on the roads and the other sequence where Luke is forced to dig a hole and refill it for days on end. Sure, if you’re not used to yard work, this might suck, but any laborer or someone with a big yard will probably look at this and say to themselves, “That’s it?”. If anything, a lot is let go at this prison camp. The camaraderie is encouraged and can be comforting once you find your spot in the group, everyone is genuinely cool with each other, and besides the one fight between Luke and Dragline, there aren’t really any issues between the prisoners that would lead to a fight, especially compared to other prison movies. The only tension visible is between the guards and the prisoners, but it’s the normal amount seen in virtually every prison movie. The new guys go through some hazing, but it’s never that bad. This “terrible” prison is pretty mild-mannered and more comparable to a high school rather than an inhumane prison camp. Actually, most high schools are more violent than what these guys go through. The authority of the prison camps doesn’t overstep their boundaries unless someone gets out of line, but it doesn’t seem unfair until Luke is disciplined. However, they don’t have a choice since Luke forced their hand. In addition, they are given a lot of freedom to make bets over basic things and out in the open to keep things entertaining. The egg-eating sequence is a perfect example of this. Everyone in the camp is aware of what Luke is training for, and floor walker Carr is even there when it’s time for the bet to commence as they all want in on the action.

What is one prison, especially during this timeframe, that would allow such an event to occur? It doesn’t exist. They wasted 50 eggs to give to one person just because they wanted to see if he could do it. As memorable as this sequence is, it does make you question why Luke finds it absolutely necessary to try to escape at all costs. The only explanation is Arletta’s death giving him a new perspective on life. Otherwise, when you take everything into account, Luke’s attempts at escaping the prison camp seem a bit unnecessary because two years of this would go by pretty fast considering how he endears himself to everyone. Had he played his cards right and kept a low profile, there is a good chance he may have gotten out early on good behavior. So as great as this movie is in the themes it explores and the character of Luke Jackson and what he represents, an argument for prison reform is not one of them. If you want better examples of this discussion in particular, check out I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang or even Murder in the First. You can’t tell me Luke Jackson suffered as much as Henri Young or James Allen. In I Am a Fugitive from a Chaing Gang, Allen was pounding stone at a rock quarry with a fucking sledgehammer. At that point, is cutting weeds really that bad? Also, the prisoners have a collective card game at one point, and everyone has a beer or pop or something to drink in their off time. For a prison camp, does this really seem that agonizing to you?

Despite some minor issues, Cool Hand Luke is a special movie. Once the film is over, you feel like you’ve known Luke your whole life, and you’re sad to see the film come to a close. He’s the centerpiece of the movie and there’s not a soul on this planet that could play the titular role quite like Paul Newman. Honestly, it’s that damned smile of his. In the opening sequence when that beautiful “Main Title” song hits, and Luke knows he’s screwed and just starts laughing to himself, you find yourself smiling with him. The same happens in the closing seconds when the flashbacks of Luke are shown in a somber but uplifting way. To this day, it reminds generations of moviegoers of all those good times we had with “Cool Hand” Luke just as it does with Dragline and the prisoners.

This is Cool Hand Luke, and its legacy cannot be understated.

Fun Fact: Jack Lemmon and Telly Savalas were originally considered for the role of Luke. Thank God that didn’t happen. This movie would’ve been completely different with either of those two in the starring role. Also, Bette Davis turned down the role of Luke’s dying mother Arletta.