A laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.A laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.A laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 11 nominations total
Harry Dean Stanton
- Tramp
- (as Dean Stanton)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the "road-tarring" sequence, the actors actually blacktopped a mile-long stretch of highway for the county.
- GoofsThe time period was more likely 1958 because Luke sang, "Plastic Jesus", a folk song which was written in 1957.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 53rd Annual Academy Awards (1981)
Featured review
Newman's Brilliance
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
**** (out of 4)
Paul Newman plays the title character, a man who just can't reform to the rules in life and can't reform to the rules when sent to a chain gang. This is certainly without question one of my favorite movies and it certainly had a large impact on my life when I watched it as a teenager. I hold this film very close to my heart and especially the character of Luke but even without the personal feelings this remains one of the better movies out there. Some have called it a prison movie but I think that's really an insult because the film is so much more than that including one of the best character studies out there. The film has so many laughs, so many painful moments and so many dramatic moments but I think the true heart of the film is in its honesty towards Newman's character. There are countless great scenes including the legendary egg eating contest but one of my favorites has always been the ending with Newman talking to God inside the church. Needless to say, Newman is brilliant in the role and while it's hard to say which one performance of his is his greatest this one here is awfully close. You can really see Newman sticking his heart and soul into the role and you really can't imagine anyone else playing the character. George Kennedy also deserved his Oscar and Strother Martin makes for one great villain.
**** (out of 4)
Paul Newman plays the title character, a man who just can't reform to the rules in life and can't reform to the rules when sent to a chain gang. This is certainly without question one of my favorite movies and it certainly had a large impact on my life when I watched it as a teenager. I hold this film very close to my heart and especially the character of Luke but even without the personal feelings this remains one of the better movies out there. Some have called it a prison movie but I think that's really an insult because the film is so much more than that including one of the best character studies out there. The film has so many laughs, so many painful moments and so many dramatic moments but I think the true heart of the film is in its honesty towards Newman's character. There are countless great scenes including the legendary egg eating contest but one of my favorites has always been the ending with Newman talking to God inside the church. Needless to say, Newman is brilliant in the role and while it's hard to say which one performance of his is his greatest this one here is awfully close. You can really see Newman sticking his heart and soul into the role and you really can't imagine anyone else playing the character. George Kennedy also deserved his Oscar and Strother Martin makes for one great villain.
helpful•233
- Michael_Elliott
- Oct 13, 2008
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,200,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $126
- Runtime2 hours 7 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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![Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjcwNTQ3Y2EtMjdmZi00ODBhLWFhNzQtOTc3MWU5NTZlMDViXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)