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{{Short description|1967 film by Stuart Rosenberg}}
{{About|the film}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Cool Hand Luke
| image          = Cool Hand Luke Poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster by [[Bill Gold]]
| director       = [[Stuart Rosenberg]]
| producer       = [[Gordon Carroll]]
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* [[Donn Pearce]]
* [[Frank Pierson|Frank R. Pierson]]
}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Cool Hand Luke (novel)|Cool Hand Luke]]''|Donn Pearce}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Paul Newman]]
* [[George Kennedy]]
* [[J. D. Cannon]]
* [[Robert Drivas]]
* [[Lou Antonio]]
* [[Strother Martin]]
* [[Jo Van Fleet]]
}}
| music          = [[Lalo Schifrin]]
| cinematography = [[Conrad Hall]]
| editing        = [[Sam O'Steen]]
| production_companies = [[Jalem Productions]]
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros.-Seven Arts]]
| released       = {{Film date|1967|11|1}}
| runtime        = 126 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $3.2&nbsp;million<ref>Hannan, Brian (2016). ''Coming Back to a Theater Near You: A History of Hollywood Reissues, 1914–2014''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., pg. 178, {{ISBN|978-1-4766-2389-4}}.</ref>
| gross          = $16.2&nbsp;million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1967/0CHLU.php|website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|title=Cool Hand Luke – Box Office Data, DVD and Blu-ray Sales, Movie News, Cast and Crew Information|access-date=January 5, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928233217/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1967/0CHLU.php|archive-date=September 28, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
}}
'''''Cool Hand Luke''''' is a 1967 American [[Prison film|prison]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Stuart Rosenberg]],<ref name="Cool Hand Luke">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/24774/cool-hand-luke|title=Cool Hand Luke|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=February 29, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225152809/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/24774/Cool-Hand-Luke/|archive-date=February 25, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> 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. Set in the early 1950s, it is based on [[Donn Pearce]]'s 1965 novel ''[[Cool Hand Luke (novel)|Cool Hand Luke<!--Per [[WP:OFTHESAMENAME]]-->]]''.

[[Roger Ebert]] called ''Cool Hand Luke'' an anti-establishment film shot during emerging popular opposition to the [[Vietnam War]]. Filming took place within California's [[Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta|San Joaquin River Delta]] region; the set, imitating a prison farm in the [[Deep South]], was based on photographs and measurements made by a crew the filmmakers sent to a Road Prison in [[Gainesville, Florida]].

Upon its release, ''Cool Hand Luke'' received favorable reviews and was a box-office success. It cemented Newman's status as one of the era's top actors, and was called the "touchstone of an era". Newman was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]], Kennedy won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]], Pearce and Pierson were nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]], and [[Lalo Schifrin]] was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]. In 2005, the United States [[Library of Congress]] selected the film for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]], considering it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-05-262/librarian-of-congress-adds-25-films-to-national-film-registry-2/2005-12-20/|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126213453/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-05-262/librarian-of-congress-adds-25-films-to-national-film-registry-2/2005-12-20/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305191832/https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film has a [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes|100% rating]] on the review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], and the prison warden's ([[Strother Martin]]) line in the film beginning with "What we've got here is failure to communicate" was listed at number 11 on the [[American Film Institute]]'s [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes|100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes]] list.

==Plot==
In early 1950s Florida, decorated World War II veteran Lucas "Luke" Jackson drunkenly beheads several [[parking meter]]s. He is sentenced to two years on a [[chain gang]] in a prison camp run by the Captain, a stern warden, and Walking Boss Godfrey, a quiet rifleman nicknamed "the man with no eyes" because he always wears mirrored sunglasses. There, even minor violations are punished by "a night in the box", a small wooden booth in the prison yard with limited air and space.

Luke refuses to observe the established order among the prisoners and quickly runs afoul of their leader, Dragline. When the two have a boxing match, Luke is severely outmatched but refuses to acquiesce. Eventually, Dragline stops the fight, but Luke's tenacity earns the prisoners' respect and draws the guards' attention. He later wins a poker game by [[bluff (poker)|bluffing]] with a hand worth nothing, and Dragline christens him "Cool Hand Luke".
[[File:Cool Hand Luke 2.jpg|thumb|left|Luke and the chain gang finish paving the road|270px]]
After a visit from his sick mother, Arletta, Luke becomes more optimistic about his situation. He repeatedly shows defiance to the Captain and the guards, and his sense of humor and independence prove inspiring to the other prisoners. Luke's struggle for supremacy peaks when he leads a work crew in a seemingly impossible but successful effort to complete a road-paving job in less than a day. The prisoners start to idolize him after he wins a bet that he can eat 50 [[hard-boiled eggs]] in an hour.

One evening, Luke receives notice that his mother has died. Anticipating that Luke might attempt to escape to attend the funeral, the Captain has him locked in the box. After being released, Luke becomes determined to escape. Under cover of a Fourth of July celebration, he makes his initial escape attempt. He is recaptured by local police and returned to the chain gang. The Captain has Luke fitted with [[leg iron]]s and delivers a warning speech to the inmates.

Shortly afterward, Luke escapes a second time. While free, Luke mails the prison a magazine that includes a photograph of himself with two beautiful women. He is soon recaptured, beaten, returned to the prison camp, and fitted with two sets of leg irons. The Captain warns Luke that he will be killed if he ever attempts to escape again. Luke becomes annoyed by the other prisoners fawning over the magazine photo and says he faked it. At first, the other prisoners are angry, but when Luke returns after a long stay in the box and is punished by being forced to eat a massive serving of rice, the others help him finish it.
[[File:Cool Hand Luke 3.jpg|thumb|250px|Luke defies the authorities for the last time]]
For his escape, the guards brutalize Luke to the point of exhaustion, particularly when he is forced to repeatedly dig and refill a grave-sized hole in the prison yard. He eventually breaks down and begs for mercy, losing the respect of his fellow inmates. Luke seems to succumb to cowardice and become an errand boy for the guards, but when an opportunity presents itself, he flees again by stealing a truck, with Dragline joining him. After abandoning the truck, the pair agree to separate. Luke enters a church and talks to God, whom he blames for sabotaging him so he cannot win in life. Police cars appear moments later, and Dragline arrives to tell him that he will not be hurt if he surrenders peacefully. Instead, Luke mockingly repeats the Captain's warning speech at the police. Godfrey shoots him in the neck. Dragline carries Luke outside and surrenders, but charges at Godfrey and strangles him until he is subdued by the guards.

While Luke is loaded into the Captain's car, Dragline tearfully implores him to live. Despite protests from local police, the Captain decides to take Luke to the distant prison infirmary instead of the local hospital to ensure Luke will not survive the trip. As the car drives away, a semi-conscious Luke weakly smiles while the tires crush Godfrey's sunglasses, implying that Luke will die of his injuries.

Some time later, the prison crew works near a rural intersection close to where Luke was shot, with Dragline now wearing leg irons and a new Walking Boss supervising.  Dragline and the other prisoners fondly reminisce about Luke.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
* [[Paul Newman]] as Lucas "Luke" Jackson
* [[George Kennedy]] as Clarence "Dragline" Slidell
* [[Strother Martin]] as The Captain
* [[Jo Van Fleet]] as Arletta Jackson
* [[Joy Harmon]] as “Lucille”
* [[Morgan Woodward]] as Walking Boss / Godfrey
* [[Luke Askew]] as Boss Paul
* [[Robert Donner]] as Boss "Shorty"
* [[Clifton James]] as Carr, The Floor Walker
* [[John McLiam]] as Boss Kean
* Andre Trottier as Boss Popler
* [[Charles Tyner]] as Boss Higgins
* [[J. D. Cannon]] as "Society Red"
* [[Lou Antonio]] as "Koko"
* [[Robert Drivas]] as Steve "Loudmouth Steve"
* [[Marc Cavell (actor)|Marc Cavell]] as "Rabbitt"
* [[Richard Davalos]] as Dick "Blind Dick"
* [[Warren Finnerty]] as "Tattoo"
* [[Dennis Hopper]] as Babalugats
* [[Wayne Rogers]] as "Gambler"
* [[Harry Dean Stanton]] as "Tramp"
* [[Ralph Waite]] as "Alibi"
* [[Anthony Zerbe]] as "Dog Boy"
* [[Buck Kartalian]] as "Dynamite"
* [[James Gammon]] as "Sleepy" (uncredited)
* [[Joe Don Baker]] as "Fixer" (uncredited)
}}

==Production==

===Florida prison===
Pearce, a merchant seaman who later became a counterfeiter and [[safe cracker]], wrote the novel ''Cool Hand Luke'' about his experiences working on a [[chain gang]] while serving in a [[Raiford State Penitentiary|Florida prison.]] A contemporary source states that he sold the story to [[Warner Bros.]] for $80,000 and received another $15,000 to write the screenplay.{{sfn|Eagan, Daniel|p=628|2010}} After working in television for over a decade, director Rosenberg chose it to make it his directorial debut in cinema. He took the idea to [[Jalem Productions]], actor [[Jack Lemmon]]'s independent film production company.{{sfn|Levy, Shawn|2009|p=203}} 

However, newspaper reports of the era announced that Lemmon and his producing partner, [[Gordon Carroll]], purchased the story directly from Pearce in August 1965, for $100,000.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=1965-08-20 |title=The Jersey Journal from Jersey City, New Jersey |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/912520327/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1965-10-30 |title=Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/793667206/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref> It was also announced that it would be made at [[Columbia Pictures]], where Jalem Productions had an existing six-picture deal,<ref>{{Cite web |date=1965-07-26 |title=The Register from Santa Ana, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/997111392/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref> as the first film to be produced by Lemmon without his starring power.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=1965-08-25 |title=The Morning Call from Paterson, New Jersey |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/553568673/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=1965-08-20 |title=The Solano-Napa News Chronicle from Vallejo, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1035662153/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Lemmon was clear in announcing to the press that he was not going to play any role in the film.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Rosenberg was also under a non-exclusive three-picture contract with Jalem Productions, before the story was purchased.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1965-07-30 |title=The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/382273789/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

Since Pearce had no experience writing screenplays, the producers eventually hired Academy Award nominated writer Frank Pierson in March 1966, to work on the script.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1966-03-08 |title=The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/382433091/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In May 1966, the production moved from Columbia Pictures to Warner Brothers Pictures, when Newman was signed for the role.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1966-05-14 |title=The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/382289945/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Conrad Hall]] was hired as the cinematographer,{{sfn|Levy, Shawn|2009|p=204}} while Paul Newman's brother, Arthur, was hired as the unit production manager.{{sfn|Nixon, Rob|2010}} Newman's biographer, Marie Edelman Borden, wrote that the "tough, honest" script drew together threads from earlier movies, especially ''[[Hombre (film)|Hombre]]'', Newman's earlier film of 1967.{{Sfn|Borden|2010|p=45}} Rosenberg altered the script's original ending, adding "an upbeat ending that would reprise Luke's (and Newman's) trademark smile."{{sfn|Grant|2008|p=178}}

===Casting===
[[Paul Newman]]'s character, Luke, is a decorated war veteran who is sentenced to serve two years in a Florida rural prison. He constantly defies the prison authorities, becoming a leader among the prisoners, as well as escaping multiple times.{{sfn|Dimare, Phillip|p={{google books|0qUJ-JuSPdQC|page=106}} -  {{google books|0qUJ-JuSPdQC|page=107}}|2011}} While the script was being developed, the leading role was initially considered for [[Jack Lemmon]] or [[Telly Savalas]]. Newman asked to play the leading role after hearing about the project. To develop his character, he traveled to [[West Virginia]], where he recorded local accents and surveyed people's behavior.{{sfn|Levy, Shawn|2009|p=204}} [[George Kennedy]] turned in an Academy Award-winning performance as Dragline, who fights Luke and comes to respect him.{{sfn|Debolt|Baugess|2011|p=152}} During the nomination process, worried about the box-office success of ''[[Camelot (film)|Camelot]]'' and ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'', Kennedy spent $5,000 on trade advertising to promote himself. He later said that thanks to the award, his salary was "multiplied by ten the minute [he] won", adding, "the happiest part was that I didn't have to play only villains anymore".{{sfn|Brown, Peter|1981|p=190}}

[[Strother Martin]], known for his appearances in westerns,{{sfn|McKay, James|p=178|2010}} was cast as the Captain, a prison warden depicted as a cruel and insensitive leader, severely punishing Luke for his escapes.{{sfn|Langman|Ebner|2001|p=177}} The role of Luke's dying mother, Arletta, who visits him in prison, was passed to [[Jo Van Fleet]] after it was rejected by [[Bette Davis]].{{sfn|Reed, John Shelton|p=196|2003}} [[Morgan Woodward]] was cast as Boss Godfrey, a laconic, cruel and remorseless prison officer Woodward described as a "walking [[Mephistopheles]]".{{sfn|Burr, Sherri|2007|p=19}} He was dubbed "the man with no eyes" by the inmates for his mirrored sunglasses.{{sfn|Ebert, Roger|p=102|2010}} The blonde [[Joy Harmon]] was cast for the scene where she teases the prisoners by washing her car after her manager, Leon Lance, contacted the producers. She auditioned in front of Rosenberg and Newman wearing a bikini, without speaking.{{sfn|Lisanti, Tom|p=114|2000}}

===Filming===
Filming began on October 3, 1966, on the [[Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta|San Joaquin River Delta]].{{sfn|Nixon, Rob|2010}} The set, imitating a southern prison farm, was built in [[Stockton, California]].{{sfn|Levy, Shawn|2009|p=204}} The filmmakers sent a crew to Tavares Road Prison in [[Tavares, Florida]], where Pearce had served his time, to take photographs and measurements.{{sfn|Florida Department of Corrections|2010}} The structures built in Stockton included barracks, a mess hall, the warden's quarters, a guard shack and dog kennels. The trees on the set were decorated with [[spanish moss]] that the producers took to the area.{{sfn|Nixon, Rob|2010}} The construction soon attracted the attention of a county building inspector who confused it with migrant worker housing and ordered it "condemned for code violations".{{sfn|Levy, Shawn|2009|p=204}} The opening scene where Newman cuts the parking meters was filmed in [[Lodi, California]].{{sfn|Nixon, Rob|2010}} The scene in which Luke is chased by [[bloodhound]]s and other exteriors were shot in [[Jacksonville, Florida]], at Callahan Road Prison. Luke was played by a stunt actor, using dogs from the [[Florida Department of Corrections]].{{sfn|Florida Department of Corrections|2010}}

Rosenberg wanted the cast to internalize life on a chain gang and banned the presence of wives on set. After Harmon arrived on location, she remained for two days in her hotel room, and was not seen by the rest of the cast until shooting commenced.{{sfn|Lisanti, Tom|p=115, 116|2000}} Despite Rosenberg's intentions, the scene was ultimately filmed separately.{{sfn|Nixon, Rob|2010}} Rosenberg instructed an unaware Harmon of the different movements and expressions he wanted.{{sfn|Lisanti, Tom|p=115, 116|2000}} Originally planned to be shot in half a day, Harmon's scene took three. For the part of the scene featuring the chain gang, Rosenberg substituted a teenage cheerleader, who wore an overcoat.{{sfn|Nixon, Rob|2010}}

==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Cool Hand Luke (soundtrack)}}
The Academy Award-nominated [[Film score|original score]] was by [[Lalo Schifrin]], who wrote tunes with a background in popular music and jazz.{{sfn|MacDonald, Laurence|p=228|2013}} Some tracks include guitars, banjos and harmonicas, others include trumpets, violins, flutes and piano.{{sfn|MacDonald, Laurence|p=230|2013}}

An edited version of the musical cue from the ''Tar Sequence'' (where the inmates are energetically paving the road) has been used for years as the theme music for local television stations' news programs around the world, mostly those owned and operated by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in the United States. Although the music was written for the film, it became more familiar for its association with TV news, in part because its staccato melody resembles the sound of a telegraph.{{sfn|Allora|Ruf|Calzadilla|2009|p=142}}

==Themes==
===Christian imagery===
Pierson included in his draft explicit religious symbolism.{{sfn|Eagan, Daniel|p=628|2010}} The film contains several elements based on Christian themes, including the concept of [[Saint Luke|Luke as a saint]] who wins over the crowds and is ultimately sacrificed.{{sfn|Reinhartz, Adele|p= 69 - 72|2012}} Luke is portrayed as a "Jesus-like redeemer figure".{{sfn|Greenspoon|Beau|Hamm|2000|p=131}} After winning the egg-eating bet, he lies exhausted on the table in the position of Jesus as depicted in [[crucifixion of Jesus|his crucifixion]], hands outstretched, feet folded over each other. After learning of his mother's death, Luke sings "[[Plastic Jesus (song)|Plastic Jesus]]". Greg Garrett also compares Luke to Jesus, in that like Jesus, he was not physically threatening to society because of his actions, and like Jesus' crucifixion, his punishment was "out of all proportion".{{sfn|Garrett, Gregg|p=36 - 40|2007}} Luke also hands both a snake then a stick to Boss Godfrey, mirroring Moses giving a stick then a snake to the Pharaoh.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%207%3A8-13&version=ISV | title=Exodus 7:8-13 ISV - - Bible Gateway }}</ref>

Luke challenges God during the rainstorm on the road, telling him to do anything to him. Later, while he is digging and filling trenches and confronted by the guards, Tramp ([[Harry Dean Stanton]]) performs the spiritual "[[Ain't No Grave|No Grave Gonna Keep my Body Down]]".{{sfn|Garrett, Gregg|p=36 - 40|2007}} Toward the end of the film, Luke speaks to God, evoking the conversation between God and Jesus at the [[Gethsemane|Garden of Gethsemane]], depicted in the [[Gospel of Luke]].{{sfn|Garrett, Gregg|p=36 - 40|2007}} In the final scene, Dragline eulogizes Luke. He explains that despite Luke's death, his actions succeeded in defeating the system.{{sfn|Reinhartz, Adele|p= 69 - 72|2012}} The closing shot shows inmates working on crossroads from far above, such that the intersection is in the shape of the cross. Superimposed on this is the repaired photo Luke sent during his second escape, the creases of which also form a cross.{{sfn|Hook, Sue Vander|p=56|2010}}

===Use of traffic signs and signals===
Different traffic signs are used throughout the film, complementing the characters' actions. At the beginning, while Luke cuts the heads off the parking meters, the word "Violation" appears. [[Stop sign]]s are also seen. Instances include the road-paving scene and the last scene, where the road meets at a cross section. [[Traffic light]]s turn from green to red in the background at the time Luke is arrested, while at the end, when he is fatally wounded, a green light in the background turns red.{{sfn|Jarvis, Brian|2004|p=184–187}}

==="Failure to communicate"===
{{quote box|What we've got here is failure to communicate. <br> 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. <br> And I don't like it any more than you men.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destgulch.com/movies/luke/luke18.wav |title=listen |access-date=May 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120104102551/http://www.destgulch.com/movies/luke/luke18.wav |archive-date=January 4, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
| width = 400px
}}[[File:Failure to Communicate - 'Cool Hand Luke'.jpg|thumb|After beating Luke to the ground, the Captain delivers the statement. Towards the end of the movie, Luke repeats the first part of the speech.]]After writing the line, Pierson worried that the phrase was too complex for the warden. To explain its origin, he created a backstory that was included in the stage directions. Pierson explained that in order to advance in the Florida prison system, officers had to take criminology and penology courses at the state university, showing how the warden might know such words.{{sfn|Charlotte, Susan|p=308|1993}} Strother Martin later clarified that he felt the line was the kind that his character would very likely have heard or read from some "pointy-headed intellectuals" who had begun to infiltrate his character's world under the general rubric of a new, enlightened approach to incarceration.{{sfn|Brode, Douglas|1990|p=195}} Some authors believe that the quotation was a metaphor for the ongoing Vietnam War, which was taking place during the filming;{{sfn|Nolte|2003|p=285}} others have applied it to corporations and even teenagers.{{sfn|DeMar|p=87}} The quotation was listed at number 11 on the [[American Film Institute]]'s [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes|list of the 100 most memorable movie lines]].{{sfn|AFI|2005}}

A sample of the line is included in the [[Guns N' Roses]] songs "[[Civil War (song)|Civil War]]" and "[[Madagascar (song)|Madagascar]]".{{sfn|Rasmussen, Eric|1991|p=74}} [[Zero Mostel]] paraphrases the line in ''[[The Great Bank Robbery (1969 film)|The Great Bank Robbery]]'' (1969). When [[Strother Martin]] hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' on April 19, 1980, he played the strict owner of a language camp for children, parodying his ''Cool Hand Luke'' role. He paraphrased his line from the movie as, "What we have here is failure to communicate BILINGUALLY!"

In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s fantasy humor novel ''[[The Truth (novel)|The Truth]]'', hired thug Mr Pin says to Charlie, a kidnapped (and not very bright) shopkeeper he is somewhat unsuccessfully training to impersonate [[Lord Vetinari]], the chief ruler of the city-state of [[Ankh-Morpork]], "I think what we have here is a failure to communicate."

==Release and reception==
''Cool Hand Luke'' opened on October 31, 1967, at [[Loew's State Theatre (New York City)|Loew's State Theatre]] in New York City. The proceeds of the premiere went to charities.{{sfn|Film Daily staff|1967|p=195}} The film was a box-office success,{{sfn|Magill, Frank|1983|p=755}} grossing $16,217,773 in domestic screenings.{{sfn|Nash Information Services staff|2009}}

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called Newman's performance "excellent" and the supporting cast "versatile and competent".{{sfn|Variety staff|1966}} ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised the film, remarking Pearce and Pierson's "sharp script", Rosenberg's "ruthlessly realistic and plausible" staging and direction and Newman's "splendid" performance with an "unfaultable" cast that "elevates" it among other prison films. Kennedy's portrayal was considered "powerfully obsessive" and the actors' playing the prison staff, "blood-chilling".{{sfn|Crowther, Bosley|1967|p=58}} The ''[[New York Daily News]]'' gave ''Cool Hand Luke'' three-and-a-half stars. Reviewer Ann Guarino noted that the film was based on Pearce's experience working with a chain gang and added, "if the cruelties depicted are true, the film should encourage reforms". Guarino called Newman's acting "excellent" and "charming and likeable", and wrote that "humor is supplied" by Kennedy. She wrote that Arletta was "played outstandingly" by van Fleet, that Martin was "effective" as the warden and that the rest of the cast "do well in their roles".{{sfn|Guarino, Ann|1967|p=69}} For ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', Marjory Adams noted that ''Cool Hand Luke'' "hits hard, spares no punches, deals with rough, sadistic and unhappy men". The review deemed Newman "tremendously effective", and his portrayal "played with perceptiveness, honesty and compassion". Adams pointed out that "Kennedy stands out as unofficial leader of the convicts", she called van Fleet's role "short but poignant" and Harmon's appearance "a masterpiece of woman's inhumanity to men". According to Adams, the direction by Rosenberg was "sharp, discerning and realistic".{{sfn|Adams, Marjory|1967|p=24}}

[[File:Cool Hand Luke 1.jpg|thumb|right|The Paul Newman smile, the reason why the movie works according to [[Roger Ebert]]]]
For the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', Clifford Terry wrote that the film "works beautifully", adding that it is "sharp, absorbing, extremely entertaining". Terry remarked on Newman's "usual competent performance" and the "strong support of the cast", and praised Kennedy, Martin, Askew and Woodward. Van Fleet's acting was deemed "masterfully played". Rosenberg's direction was called "diverse" in its "exploration of moods". Terry opined that the "believable, tuned-in dialog" by Pierson and Person and [[Conrad Hall]]'s "sun-centered photography" created a "great feeling of the southern discomfort". He felt that "the final 10 minutes" that featured Luke's monologue "almost destroy the preceding 110", with the "unlikely" monologue and the "artsy camera shot" of the breaking of the "hating overseer's sunglasses" contributing to the scene's "awkward artificiality". But "everything else works", Terry wrote.{{sfn|Clifford, Terry|1967|p=S2–17}}

For the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', reviewer [[Charles Champlin]] called the film "remarkably interesting and impressive". He wrote that ''Cool Hand Luke'' "has its flaws" that "mar an otherwise special achievement", but that "it still remains an achievement". He felt that the film was a "triumph" for Newman.{{sfn|Champlin, Charles|1967|p=PIV–1}} Champlin deemed the scene featuring van Fleet a "stunning piece of writing and acting". He called the roles of the prison staff "triumphantly hateable" and Kennedy "superb". He called the sequence with Harmon "a scene of cruel sexuality" and Schifrin's music "lonely and hunting". Champlin felt that Newman's end monologue was "stagey, sentimental and redundant". He added that ''Cool Hand Luke'' "played at the level of observable reality" and that "the intrusion of cinematic artifice seems wholly wrong". He wrote that the filmmakers "had not reckoned their own strength at making their symbolic points" but that the result was "a picture with riveting impact".{{sfn|Champlin, Charles|1967|p=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76593576/ PIV–23]}}

''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' wrote that "the beauty comes from the careful building of the individuals' characters". Its review said that Rosenberg "tells the story simply and directly", while lamenting the "anti-climatic", "unfortunate montages" at the end of the film.{{sfn|Atkins, Eric|1967|p=11-D}} ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch|The St. Louis Dispatch]]'' praised Kennedy's acting as "raw realism in a fine performance" and Rosenberg's work as "above the cut of the ordinary chain-gang motion picture". The review praised the "fluid camera, working in for telling expressions" that made the prisoners "merge as varied and interesting individuals".{{sfn|Standish, Myles|1967|p=3F}} The ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'' called the film "absorbing, well-thought-out". The script was deemed "taut and deftly honed, flavored by humor and perceptive accents" and Rosenberg's direction "smoothly flowing as it is brutally realistic and occasionally raw". Newman's performance was hailed as "sureness as style that is totally convincing"; the review concluded that the film "can be appreciated on any level".{{sfn|Bustin, John|1967|p=A27}}

===Later reviews===
{{RT prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|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.}}{{sfn|Rotten Tomatoes staff|2013}} {{Metacritic film prose|92|16|ref=yes}} ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' rated it five stars out of five, declaring the movie one of Newman's best performances.{{sfn|Empire Magazine staff|2005}} ''[[Slant (magazine)|Slant]]'' rated the film three stars out of four. It described Newman's role as "iconic", also praising its cinematography and sound score.{{sfn|Weber, Bill|2008}} [[Allmovie#History|Allmovie]] praised Newman's performance as "one of the most indelible anti-authoritarian heroes in movie history".{{sfn|Doberman, Matthew|2009}} [[Roger Ebert]] included the film in his review collection ''[[The Great Movies]]'', rating it four stars out of four.{{sfn|Ebert, Roger|p=102|2010}} He called it a "great" film and also an anti-establishment one during the Vietnam War. He believed the film was a product of its time and that no major film company would be interested in producing a film of such "physical punishment, psychological cruelty, hopelessness and equal parts of sadism and masochism" today. He praised the cinematography, capturing the "punishing heat" of the location, and stated that "the physical presence of Paul Newman is the reason this movie works: The smile, the innocent blue eyes, the lack of strutting", which no other actor could have produced as effectively.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-cool-hand-luke-1967 |date=July 10, 2008 |title=Cool Hand Luke|first=Roger |last=Ebert|access-date=October 20, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602235648/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-cool-hand-luke-1967|archive-date=June 2, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Newman's biographer Lawrence J. Quirk considered it one of Newman's weaker performances, writing, "For once, even Newman's famed charisma fails him, for in ''Cool Hand Luke'' he completely lacks the charm that, say, [[Al Pacino]] in ''[[Scarecrow (1973 film)|Scarecrow]]'' effortlessly exhibits when he plays a screw-up who also winds up (briefly) incarcerated."{{sfn|Quirk|2009|p=154}} Quirk added that Newman's performance was stronger in the second half: "to be fair to Newman, he was trying his damnedest to play an impossible part, since Luke is a convict's rationalization fantasy and never a real character".{{sfn|Quirk|2009|p=155}} Some authors have criticized the film's depiction of prison life at the time. In a review called "Sheer Beauty in the Wrong Place", ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'', while praising the film's photography, criticized the influence of the visual styles in the depictions of the prison camp. The magazine declared that the landscapes turned it into "a rest camp [in which] the men are getting plenty of sleep, food and healthy outdoor exercise", and that despite the presence of the guards, it showed that there were "worse ways to pay one's debt with society".{{sfn|Schickel, Richard|p={{google books|id=VUkEAAAAMBAJ|page=10}}|1967}} Ron Clooney also remarked that prisons "were not hotels and certainly not the stuff of ''Cool Hand Luke'' movies".{{sfn|Clooney|2011|p=231}}

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[40th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]{{sfn|Nixon, Rob|2013}}
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[Paul Newman]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[George Kennedy]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| [[Donn Pearce]] and [[Frank Pierson]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Music Score]]
| [[Lalo Schifrin]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[20th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| [[Stuart Rosenberg]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[25th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| Paul Newman
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]
| George Kennedy
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[Laurel Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Top Drama
| {{nom}}
|-
| Top Male Dramatic Performance
| Paul Newman
| {{nom}}
|-
| Top Male Supporting Performance
| George Kennedy
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Film Preservation Board]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Film Registry]]
| {{won|Inducted}}
|-
| [[1967 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| [[Conrad Hall|Conrad L. Hall]]<small>(also for ''[[In Cold Blood (film)|In Cold Blood]]'')</small>
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
|-
| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Hall of Fame – Motion Picture
| {{won}}
|}

==Legacy==
In 2003, [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]] rated Luke the 30th-greatest hero in American cinema,{{sfn|AFI|2003}} and three years later, [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers|AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies]] rated Cool Hand Luke number 71.{{sfn|AFI|2007}} In 2006, Luke was ranked 53rd in ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters".{{sfn|Empire Magazine staff 2|2005}} The film solidified Newman's status as a box-office star, while the film is considered a touchstone of the era.{{sfn|DiLeo, John|p=73|2010}} The film was an inductee of the 2005 [[National Film Registry]] list.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/complete-national-recording-registry-listing/ |title=Complete National Recording Registry Listing |publisher=[[National Recording Preservation Board]], Library of Congress |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520050712/https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/complete-national-recording-registry-listing/ |archive-date=May 20, 2017 |df=mdy-all | access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>

An episode of the television show ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'' titled "Cool Hands Luke and Bo" was shown with [[Morgan Woodward]] playing "Colonel Cassius Claiborne" the boss of a neighboring county and warden of its prison farm. He wears the trademark shades of Boss Godfrey throughout the episode.

The book was adapted into a [[West End theatre|West End]] play by [[Emma Reeves]]. It opened at London's [[Aldwych Theatre]] in 2011 starring [[Marc Warren]], but closed after less than two months, after poor reviews.{{sfn|Trueman, Matt|2011}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |date=2011-10-04 |title=Cool Hand Luke – review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/oct/04/cool-hand-luke-aldwych-review |access-date=2024-02-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The show was chosen by ''The Times'' both as "Critic's Choice" and "What the Critics Would Pay To See".{{sfn|Purves, Libby|2011}}

[[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]-based [[Contemporary Christian music|Christian]] [[alternative rock]] band [[Cool Hand Luke (band)|Cool Hand Luke]] is named after the film.

[[Luke Humphries]], 2024 PDC world darts champion, also uses "Cool Hand Luke" as his nickname.

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Film|Law|1960s}}
* [[List of American films of 1967]]
* [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes]]
* ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'' (1994)
* [[Prisoner abuse]]
* [[Gospel of Luke]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Works cited==
* {{cite news|author=Adams, Marjory|date=November 13, 1967|title=Powerful Story of Chain Gang Pulls No Punches|work=The Boston Globe|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76716066/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 29, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603101240/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76716066/the-boston-globe/|url-status=live}} {{open access}}
* {{cite web|author=AFI|url=http://www.afi.com/100years/handv.aspx|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains|publisher=American Film Institute|year=2003|access-date=August 28, 2013|archive-date=February 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214195710/http://www.afi.com/100Years/handv.aspx|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|author=AFI|url=http://www.afi.com/100Years/quotes.aspx|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes|publisher=American Film Institute|year=2005|access-date=January 14, 2015|archive-date=November 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116134035/http://www.afi.com/100Years/quotes.aspx|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|author=AFI|url=http://www.afi.com/100Years/cheers.aspx|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers|publisher=American Film Institute|year=2007|access-date=August 28, 2013|archive-date=March 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320160930/http://afi.com/100Years/cheers.aspx|url-status=live}}
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* {{cite news|author=Atkins, Eric|date=November 12, 1967|title=Success -- Care in Handling Tired Subject|agency=Time, Inc|publisher=St. Petersburg Times|volume=84|number=111|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76594956/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 28, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603101217/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76594956/tampa-bay-review/|url-status=live}} {{open access}}
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* {{cite book|author=Brode, Douglas|year=1990|title=The films of the sixties|publisher=Carol Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8065-0798-9|url=https://archive.org/details/filmsofsixties00brod}}
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* {{cite news|author=Bustin, John|date=November 16, 1967|title=Show World|work=Austin American-Statesman|volume=97|number=81|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76595287/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 28, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603101229/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76595287/austin-american-statesman/|url-status=live}} {{open access}}
* {{cite news|author=Champlin, Charles|date=October 30, 1967|title='Cool Hand Luke', Simple Tale With Truths to Tell|work=Los Angeles Times|volume=86|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76657033/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 28, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603101211/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76657033/the-los-angeles-times/|url-status=live}} {{open access}}
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* {{cite news|author=Clifford, Terry|date=November 27, 1967|title=Newman Holds Winning Cards Again in 'Cool Hand Luke'|work=Chicago Tribune|volume=121|number=331|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76594442/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 28, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603101231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76594442/chicago-review/|url-status=live}} {{open access}}
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* {{cite book|last=DeMar|first=Carol|title=It Takes a Backbone to Raise Terrific Kids|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-9-cFB52Lp4C&pg=PA87|publisher=American Vision|isbn=978-1-60702-167-4|access-date=September 27, 2016|archive-date=March 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320182028/https://books.google.com/books?id=-9-cFB52Lp4C&pg=PA87|url-status=live}}
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* {{cite news|author=Purves, Libby|title=Cool Hand Luke at the Aldwych Theatre, WC2|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/cool-hand-luke-at-the-aldwych-theatre-wc2-gp7f70nmh5v|work=[[The Times]]|location=London|year=2011|access-date=August 29, 2013|archive-date=December 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216105028/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/stage/theatre/article3183496.ece|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Quirk|first=Lawrence J.|title=Paul Newman: A Life, Updated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T_IzF9JReO4C&pg=PA154|date=September 16, 2009|publisher=Taylor Trade Publications|isbn=978-1-58979-438-2|access-date=September 27, 2016|archive-date=March 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320182059/https://books.google.com/books?id=T_IzF9JReO4C&pg=PA154|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|author=Rasmussen, Eric|title=The Blues and Gospel Impulses in the Rock Dialogic: Guns N' Roses and Bruce Springsteen|publisher=University of Wisconsin-Madison|year= 1991}}
* {{cite book|author=Reinhartz, Adele|year=2012|title=Bible and Cinema: Fifty Key Films|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-18399-7}}
* {{cite book|author=Reed, John Shelton|year=2003|title=Minding the South|publisher=University of Missouri Press|isbn=978-0-8262-6453-4}}
* {{cite web|author=Rotten Tomatoes staff|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cool_hand_luke/|title=Cool Hand Luke - Rotten Tomatoes|year=2013|work=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Flixster, Inc.|access-date=April 7, 2018|archive-date=September 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929063422/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cool_hand_luke/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite magazine|author=Schickel, Richard|year=1967|magazine=Life|volume=63|number=18|issn=0024-3019|title=Sheer Beauty in the Wrong Place|publisher=Time Inc.}}
* {{cite news|author=Standish, Myles|date=November 10, 1967|title=The New Films|work=St. Louis Dispatch|volume=89|number=310|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76595461/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 28, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603101212/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76595461/st-louis-post-dispatch/|url-status=live}} {{open access}}
* {{cite news|author=Trueman, Matt|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/oct/17/cool-hand-luke-closes-early|title=Cool Hand Luke's West End gamble fails as show closes early|work=The Guardian|location=London|year=2011|access-date=August 29, 2013|archive-date=October 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030030844/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/oct/17/cool-hand-luke-closes-early|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news|author=Variety staff|year=1966|url=https://variety.com/1966/film/reviews/cool-hand-luke-1200421403/|title=Review: 'Cool Hand Luke'|work=Variety|access-date=August 27, 2013|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921075907/http://variety.com/1966/film/reviews/cool-hand-luke-1200421403/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news|author=Weber, Bill|year=2008|title=Cool Hand Luke|work=Slant Magazine|publisher=Slantmagazine.com|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/cool-hand-luke/3767|access-date=August 27, 2013|archive-date=January 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121153810/http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/cool-hand-luke/3767|url-status=live}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0061512}}
* {{TCMDb title|24774}}
* {{AFI film|22697}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC ''Cool Hand Luke''] essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 627-629

{{Stuart Rosenberg}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1967 films]]
[[Category:1967 crime drama films]]
[[Category:1960s prison films]]
[[Category:American crime drama films]]
[[Category:American prison drama films]]
[[Category:Films about veterans]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Stuart Rosenberg]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films produced by Gordon Carroll]]
[[Category:Films scored by Lalo Schifrin]]
[[Category:Films set in Florida]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1950s]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:Films shot in Jacksonville, Florida]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:1960s American films]]
[[Category:English-language crime drama films]]
[[Category:Jalem Productions films]]