03/06/06 Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke (1967), directed by Stuart Rosenberg

watched solo; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home

"What we have here is a failure to communicate." OK, I just had to lead things off with the classic line from the movie. Not only is it a fun thing to imitate, it serves the dual purpose as being the basic premise of Paul Newman's title character Luke. Luke is a down-on-his-luck man who likes to do things his own way, and disregard any rules or regulations you throw at him. His petty crime (cutting the heads off of parking meters while drunk...hilarious) lands him in a harsh Southern prison camp where he's forced onto the physical labor of a chain gang. He's a stubborn guy who slowly earns the respect of his fellow inmates through his toughness and fearlessness. Upon learning of his mother's death, Luke tries what is the first of many prison breaks. This solidifies his hero status in the eyes of the imprisoned men, who begin to live vicariously through Cool Hand Luke. Never wanting the attention to begin with, Luke again has to prove his own mental toughness to overcome his position. The film is simplistic in its way that it portrays a man at his breaking point, who must soul search for morality, religion, violence and ultimate purpose in life. This is a famous role for Newman, who earns his legend of cool in a role of this nature...plus it doesn't hurt to eat 50 eggs in an hour. Don't try that one at home.

4 out of 5 stars