Cool Hand Luke (1967)
98%RT Audience Score: 95%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
4 wins & 10 nominations total
Though hampered by Stuart Rosenberg’s direction, Cool Hand Luke is held aloft by a stellar script and one of Paul Newman’s most indelible performances.
Cool Hand Luke is one of those movies that’ll make you wanna break outta prison and start a rebellion. Sure, the director, Stuart Rosenberg, might’ve been a bit of a buzzkill, but the script is top-notch and Paul Newman is on fire. Seriously, his performance is so good, it’ll make you wanna wear shades indoors just to look as cool as he does. Overall, this movie is a must-see for anyone who loves a good underdog story and wants to feel like a rebel without a cause.
Production Company(ies)
Jalem Productions,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
GP
Year of Release
1967
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 9m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 1, 1967 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 24, 1997
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, Morgan Woodward, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, written by Frank Pierson, Donn Pearce, produced by Gordon Carroll, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by John Mahoney, Jake Wilson, Dave Kehr, Bill Weber, Kim Newman, PG rating, rebel hero, prison life, nonconformity, Florida prison farm, sadistic warden, unbreakable will, solitary confinement, antihero, allegory, counterculture, human spirit, immolation, ensemble cast, charismatic, psychological revelation, black comedy, anti-establishment, iconic performance, taut script, slow-moving pace, resonant message, strong performances
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
George Kennedy – Dragline
J.D. Cannon – Society Red
Lou Antonio – Koko
Robert Drivas – Loudmouth Steve
Strother Martin – Captain
Director(s)
Stuart Rosenberg
Writer(s)
Frank Pierson, Donn Pearce, Donn Pearce
Producer(s)
Gordon Carroll
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
4 wins & 10 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (52)
Well written by Pearce and Pierson and acted by a most talented ensemble of performers, Luke succeeds as both a highly humorous and deeply dramatic study of the immolation of human spirit in captivity and as an allegory.
December 15, 2020
John Mahoney
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The whole thing depends on Newman’s blue eyes, easy grin, and ability to appear charismatic but never cocky.
September 27, 2018
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Stuart Rosenberg’s direction is a horror, but the cast teems with so many familiar faces that this 1967 film can’t help but entertain.
April 23, 2009
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Newman remains watchable and glamorous throughout, bloody, muddy or coated in torso-flattering sweat, but the film’s efforts to sentimentally “humanize” him by psychological revelation are clumsy.
September 9, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Bill Weber
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
One of those movies you remember Great Moments from.
August 22, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Newman gives an excellent performance, assisted by a terriffic supporting cast, including George Kennedy, outstanding as the unofficial leader of the cons who yields first place to Newman.
July 22, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
In my mind, the most defining role of Paul Newman’s long, illustrious career, and one of the great antihero films told with cruel wit – a black comedy if ever there was one.
January 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
An archetype of ’60s counterculture in cinema, particularly with its nuanced messages of discontent, conspicuous humor, and the unforgettable performance by Paul Newman.
August 24, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The movie cheats slightly by hinting Newman’s death is a triumph – as if all crucifixions were alike. But this is a very small carp at a very fine movie.
February 6, 2020
Wilfrid Sheed
Esquire Magazine
As this ‘Southern’ turns up the heat, the sense of sadistic oppression, of being looked down on by ‘the man,’ swelters and burns. The glowering sun eclipses the convict in its hellfire glow. Newman/Luke’s knowing smile, though, burns on.
June 26, 2015
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta)
An incredible film…
February 16, 2014
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
…a gulag melodrama, if such a thing is possible.
July 8, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm…
Plot
Luke Jackson is a cool, gutsy prisoner in a Southern chain gang, who, while refusing to buckle under to authority, keeps escaping and being recaptured. The prisoners admire Luke because, as Dragline explains it, “You’re an original, that’s what you are!” Nevertheless, the camp staff actively works to crush Luke until he finally breaks.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
George Kennedy won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dragline in Cool Hand Luke.
Stuart-Rosenberg.jpg
