Cool Hand Luke

In a storied career full of classics -- from 'The Hustler' to 'The Sting' to 'Butch Cassidy' to 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' -- it's no small compliment to say that 'Cool Hand Luke' easily stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Paul Newman's best. Based on Donn Pearce's classic novel (which was inspired by his two years working a real prison chain gang), 'Cool Hand Luke' is more than just a mere prison drama or even a great escapist thriller, but a landmark entry in the genre of non-conformist filmmaking, one that continues to inspire us to maintain our individuality in a world that often does little to champion it. And in the process, it gives Newman one of his finest, most multi-faceted roles.

Like all great films, 'Cool Hand Luke' is deceptively simple in terms of story, but complex in meaning and rich in theme. In pure plot terms, it is the story of war hero Lucas Jackson, now a down-on-his-luck loser who, as the film begins, will commit the petty crime (whacking the heads off of municipal parking meters!) that puts him in the slammer. Assigned to work a chain gang in a sweaty Florida prison, his loner tendencies and cooly-detached humor soon put him at odds with the deceptively soft-spoken warden of the camp, the sadistic Captain (Strother Martin). Also paying attention to the new arrival are the other prisoners, particularly the teddy bear leader of the pack Dragline (George Kennedy, in an Oscar-winning performance), Dragline's best buddy Koko (Lou Antonio), and another glowering boss at the camp, the borderline-mute Boss Godfrey (Morgan Woodward).

At first, Luke keeps his defiant inner nature in check by keeping to himself. But his innate smart-ass demeanor will prove impossible to conceal, and he soon begins to wage a campaign against the authority of the prison through small games and gags. These are some of 'Cool Hand Luke's most signature sequences, many of which -- the boxing match with Drag, the way Luke bluffs his way through a poker match with Loko, the oft-quoted egg-eating contest -- are now classic. The other prisoners are at first unable to see that Luke's barely-contained contempt, as expressed through humor, is merely a mask for his fear. This allows Luke to turn into a near-mythic anti-hero, a man of deeds, not words, and one capable of leading a rebellion that the other prisoners are not even fully aware they are going to fight.

'Cool Hand Luke' is often regarded as one of the most entertaining film's of the '60s, which may at first seem a back-handed compliment as it was such a transitional decade for American cinema, one that saw filmmakers and studios starting to take chances with riskier, less commercial fare. In hindsight, 'Cool Hand Luke's closest cinematic cousin is actually Ken Kesey's 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (produced in 1975), and it also recalls other anti-conformity classics such as Robert Altman's 'M*A*S*H,' Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse Five,' and Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22.' By the film's rousing final act, when Luke attempts an all-out escape in order to see his ailing mother, his acts of defiance are as stirring and weighty as anything seen in 'Cuckoo's Nest.' He has become an inspirational beacon for the other prisoners, and a metaphor for the belief that no matter what society demands, man must always fight for his own independence and individuality, at any cost. Because to conform is to die.

As strong a story and a film as 'Cool Hand Luke' is, it's also entirely Newman's picture. It may be his best performance. He nails every beat and wrings true every line. He perfectly conveys Luke's scrappy charm, hard-edged stubbornness, and physical prowess (despite being slight of build). He also manages to craft a fully three-dimensional, believable character in Luke, while remaining every inch a star that can command every frame of film he appears in. 'Cool Hand Luke' is a true classic, a film that works on just about every level -- as entertainment, as allegory, and as an actor's tour de force.