Cool Hand Luke




What we got here is a failure of communication.

Paul Newman was certainly the rebellious guy to go to during the 60's. His role as Cool Hand Luke summed up this stage in his career, and is certainly the most memorable.

Perhaps the scene that says it all comes at the very beginning. It perfectly introduces the character of Luke (Paul Newman) and lands him in a southern prison camp. There his unconventional habits set him apart and eventually win over the inmates. But his innate nature causes him to buck the system and try to escape.

This is an interesting character piece. Everything we need to know about Luke is presented early on, while the other meaty stuff doesn't come until much further down the line. He is a man without long and stirring dialogues. Most of his character is communicated through what crosses his face and what he does. This is a man who knows exactly what he believes and doesn't really care what other people think. His reckless stubbornness gives him a name, reputation and a livid fan club. He slowly discovers that he really wants none of these. Correlations between Luke and Christ are almost inevitable.

Even though a lot of the film is spent out with the men digging ditches and it feels like not much is going on, that's usually not true. A sense of the monotony is achieved, but little things happen that contribute to the bigger picture. When everything is considered, this isn't really about Luke at all. It's the spirit of defiance in the face of sometimes overpowering suppression, the epitome of the late 60's. Stuart Rosenberg goes to great measures to hit the right notes and never over does it, even with the dramatic music blaring.

Newman is certainly on the top of his game, and he conveys Luke's transformation perfectly with a minimum of words. George Kennedy also pulls his weight for his Oscar. He presents Dragline as the cliché tough guy and much more. There is quite a host of familiar faces, but no one else is really that vital, even the Captain who utters that infamous line.

This is one of those movies that really didn't hit me right. Regardless, it is quite an achievement as a film that refuses to conform.



-The Gnome