Cool Hand Luke

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Cool Hand Luke

PG

1967

2h 9m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

100%

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56 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When petty criminal Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden (Strother Martin) or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline (George Kennedy), who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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John Mahoney

The Hollywood Reporter

12/15/2020

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.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

09/27/2018

The whole thing depends on Newman's blue eyes, easy grin, and ability to appear charismatic but never cocky.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

04/23/2009

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.

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Bianca Garner

Filmotomy

10/10/2024

Cool Hand Luke has one of cinema’s best character introductions and film openings.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

05/06/2023

There’s more than a bit of Christ allegory in the imagery but it’s the character of the scruffy prisoners in the impoverished prison... that gives the film its juice.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

04/08/2023

3.5/4

In a career filled with iconic anti-heroes -- including what I deem the “4-H Club” from the 1960s (Hud, Harper, Hombre, and The Hustler) -- Lucas Jackson just might be the most popular of all the societal misfits played by Paul Newman.

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chad

04/07/2025

This as good a movie you can hope to see, until One Flew comes along and does it better.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Jul 6

One of the greatest movies of All-time. Paul Newman George Kennedy and Harry Dean Stanton lead a great cast in this prison chain gang film. Luke gets sent to prison for cutting the heads off of parking meters. The highlights of the movie includes a boxing match,50 eggs and many attempts of escaping. I absolutely love this movie and is my favorite Paul Newman Movie. Tim Treakle

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Max M.

@Househuntermax Jun 24

Yeah I know, classic American movie. But I don’t know, something just wasn’t there for me. I appreciate the counter culture aspect and its significance of its time, but I was just kind of bored.

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Joaquin U

@Joaquin1 May 2

Very entertaining. Powerful cast, with Paul Newman at the top of his craft. Great script. Adequate direction, though some bits don’t make much sense. These criminals are so decent they put today’s to shame. A film with many iconic moments, still relevant in pop culture.

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Jeremy P.

@Jezza_Linko Feb 17

awesome movie from Paul Newman on the run from the feds

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Luke M.

@LukeCoolHand Jan 31

A towering achievement in the prison drama genre, Cool Hand Luke is anchored by Paul Newman’s career-defining charisma. While the film delivers on the grit—boasting a brutal boxing match and the most legendary egg-eating contest in cinema history—it’s the quiet moments of defiance that stick with you. It’s a soulful, beautifully shot exploration of the human spirit’s refusal to be broken. Failure to communicate? Hardly. This film speaks volumes.

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Synopsis

When petty criminal Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden (Strother Martin) or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline (George Kennedy), who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers.

Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Producer: Gordon Carroll
Screenwriter: Frank Pierson, Donn Pearce, Donn Pearce
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Jalem Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 1, 1967, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2016
Runtime: 2h 9m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)