Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Tagline: Sometimes, “Nothing” can be a really Cool Hand.

Cool Hand Luke movie storyline. Based on Donn Pearce’s novel and one of the great prison-chain-gang films. A spirited, irreverent, social misfit Luke (Newman) is arrested for destroying parking meters and imprisoned in a tough Southern prison farm, commanded by a sadistic, prison officer Captain (Martin).

After boxing with the chain-gang boss Dragline (Kennedy), he eventually becomes a hero to his fellow inmates, earning the title “Cool Hand Luke” because his will cannot be broken. A visit by Luke’s dying mother (Van Fleet) reveals facts about his past. The stubborn, unruly and independent rebel refuses to submit and continually and cooly defies the authorities with repeated escape attempts. As the inmates start worshipping him as a folk hero, he risks everything in order to live up to their expectations, and is sacrificed in the tragic climax. With the memorable line of dialogue: “What we have here is failure to communicate,” and the classic egg-eating scene.

Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison camp who refuses to submit to the system.

Upon its release, Cool Hand Luke received favorable reviews and became a box-office success. The film cemented Newman’s status as one of the era’s top box-office actors, while the film was described as the “touchstone of an era.” Newman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, George Kennedy won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Pearce and Pierson were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the score by Lalo Schifrin was also nominated for the Best Original Score.

Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J. D. Cannon, Robert Drivas, Lou Antonio, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, Anthony Zerbe, Buck Kartalian, Joy Harmon, Joe Don Baker, James Gammon
Screenplay by: Donn Pearce, Frank R. Pierson
Cinematography by: Conrad Hall
Film Editing by: Sam O’Steen
Costume Design by: Howard Shoup
Set Decoration by: Fred Price
Art Direction by: Cary Odell
Music by: Lalo Schifrin
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: November 1, 1967