IMDb > Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Cool Hand Luke
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Cool Hand Luke (1967) More at IMDbPro »

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Cool Hand Luke (1967) -- A man refuses to conform to life in a rural prison.
Cool Hand Luke (1967) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Donn Pearce (screenplay) and
Frank Pierson (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Cool Hand Luke on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 November 1967 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
"What we've got here is failure to communicate." more
Plot:
A man refuses to conform to life in a rural prison. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(48 articles)
AFI's 100 Years ...100 Movie Quotes
 (From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)

They don't make them like Paul Newman anymore, a true giver
 (From Monsters and Critics. 30 October 2009, 6:01 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
The anti-hero more (191 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
126 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The company that produced the film, Jalem Productions, is owned by Jack Lemmon. more
Goofs:
Continuity: After Luke cuts his chains with the axe, he ties the chains to his ankles with a strip off his trousers. He ties his left ankle but not his right, yet as he gets up and runs away both are tied on. more
Quotes:
Captain, Road Prison 36: What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Here Comes Garfield (1982) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Plastic Jesus more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a book?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Why did Luke destroy the parking meters?
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64 out of 71 people found the following comment useful.
The anti-hero, 2 January 2002

One of the reasons that the late 60s/early 70s was such a powerful era in filmmaking is the emergence of the anti-hero (defined as an individual with heroic qualities, but not in a position we would usually find a hero). This is symbolized greatly in `Cool Hand Luke'. We can identify with Luke because his crime is venial and his concerns over the great questions of life are ours. It is because of this and his persuasive charm that the other prisoners (played remarkably well by Kennedy and a host of others to include Wayne Rogers, Ralph Waite, Dennis Hopper and one of the actors who played a crewmember on `Alien') live vicariously through him.

Filled with memorable scenes (the boxing match, 50 eggs, the fealty of his fellow prisoners who help him finish his food after his stomach is shrunk in solitary confinement, `shakin' it here boss', the sneezing dogs, and of course the carwash part) and outstanding character development (created by what is said and what is not said, i.e. the visiting brother), one of screen history's most repeated lines and the great acting of Newman, this movie deserves to be called a classic. Released the same year as `Bonnie and Clyde', it makes one long for the days when you needed a real script to make a movie.

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