Cool Hand Luke

Stuart Rosenberg, USA, 1967, 126 minutes

Yes, this is the flick where Paul Newman winds up in a chain gang and eats fifty eggs. To put is less bluntly, Cool Hand Luke is one of the quintessential antiauthoritarian movies, detailing the trials and tribulations of a loner who dared to shake the foundations of a tyrannical establishment. Newman’s piercing blue eyes and magnetic personality are exploited to devastating effect in this, the role that probably encapsulates his enduring appeal better than any other.

Sent to a Southern-state penitentiary for ‘damaging municipal property whilst under the influence’, Lucas Jackson immediately administers a stoic, recalcitrant manner in his daily routine. This unsurprisingly fails to impress the prison warden (Strother Martin), whose catchphrase (‘what we have here is failure to communicate’) has entered the cinematic lexicon as the definition of menacing understatement. Luke’s incarceration is characterised by gruelling labour, sadistic punishments and black-humoured camaraderie with fellow inmates. The glaring sun, desolate landscape and glinting metal fences come to define this hellish place. As the story progresses, Luke’s unorthodox actions gain him popularity, while the system determinedly attempts to break his spirit.

The key masterstroke of this production lies neither in its appreciable moral perspective nor the quietly dominating central performance. Instead the film’s reputation stems from its iconic imagery, and while the aforementioned egg-eating marathon is rather nauseating, it is deservedly revered. George Kennedy won an Academy Award for his muscular turn as Luke’s nemesis Dragline, and buffs should keep a watchful eye for Dennis Hopper and Harry Dean Stanton. Relatively unknown director Rosenberg knew he would hit the gold rush so long as he kept his Newman's chiselled jaw in frame, but he does a fine job. A valiant effort to turn Luke into a messianic figure by the film’s conclusion isn’t entirely plausible; however Cool Hand Luke is a powerful film, and a superb illustration of what is once meant to be a bona-fide movie star.

Review by Chay Williamson
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2007