Paul Newman stars as eccentric war veteran, Lucas Jackson. Luke lives in a tiny southern town. And he gets himself sentenced to a chain-gang, after he gets drunk and destroys some parking meters one night.
The chain-gang camp, is run by a seemingly fatherly, yet ruthless Warden, called the Captain. Luke and his fellow inmates, are forced to perform back-breaking chain-gang duty, in the scorching southern heat every day. Under the directive of the Captain, brutal punishment is meted out by the prison guards, to any inmate who disobeys the stringent prison rules.
Luke, rebellious soul that he is, refuses to knuckle-under to the sadistic guards. Luke's steely determination, wins him the reverent admiration of the other inmates. After two failed escape attempts, Luke is subjected to vicious torture, by the guards. The Captain, with the help of the monstrous guards, makes it his mission to break Luke's spirit.
Paul Newman is amazing in his role as Luke. I couldn't imagine any other actor portraying the character of Luke, as deftly as Newman did. George Kennedy plays Luke's burly inmate pal, Dragline, with consummate skill. Jo Van Fleet, gives a wonderfully poignant performance, as Luke's dying mother, Arleta. And Strother Martin, conveys the obsessive resolve of the Captain character, with a frightening intensity.
Other members of the supporting cast shine too. Dennis Hopper, Lou Antonio, Ralph Waite, and Harry Dean Stanton, all give moving performances as prison inmates. Bob Woodward gives a hideously chilling quality, to his mute, blind, sharpshooter road-boss character.
In summation, Cool Hand Luke will always remain a classic of American cinema, for generations to come.
The chain-gang camp, is run by a seemingly fatherly, yet ruthless Warden, called the Captain. Luke and his fellow inmates, are forced to perform back-breaking chain-gang duty, in the scorching southern heat every day. Under the directive of the Captain, brutal punishment is meted out by the prison guards, to any inmate who disobeys the stringent prison rules.
Luke, rebellious soul that he is, refuses to knuckle-under to the sadistic guards. Luke's steely determination, wins him the reverent admiration of the other inmates. After two failed escape attempts, Luke is subjected to vicious torture, by the guards. The Captain, with the help of the monstrous guards, makes it his mission to break Luke's spirit.
Paul Newman is amazing in his role as Luke. I couldn't imagine any other actor portraying the character of Luke, as deftly as Newman did. George Kennedy plays Luke's burly inmate pal, Dragline, with consummate skill. Jo Van Fleet, gives a wonderfully poignant performance, as Luke's dying mother, Arleta. And Strother Martin, conveys the obsessive resolve of the Captain character, with a frightening intensity.
Other members of the supporting cast shine too. Dennis Hopper, Lou Antonio, Ralph Waite, and Harry Dean Stanton, all give moving performances as prison inmates. Bob Woodward gives a hideously chilling quality, to his mute, blind, sharpshooter road-boss character.
In summation, Cool Hand Luke will always remain a classic of American cinema, for generations to come.