Cool Hand Luke
Seen it?1967 | 127 min | Drama, Crime
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), people are still talking about it, audiences rate it highly (7.7 out of 10) and it won an Oscar. Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans. If you loved The Shawshank Redemption or GoodFellas, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 7 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- Made in 1967: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, 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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 92 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
7.7 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 Oscar: Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor. Also nominated for 3 more Oscars, 2 Golden Globes and 1 DGA Award. Plus 2 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$16 million worldwide on a $3 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactVery strong
About 364K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
- Paul NewmanLuke Jackson
- George KennedyDragline
- Luke AskewBoss Paul
- Morgan WoodwardBoss Godfrey
- Harry Dean StantonTramp
- Dennis HopperBabalugats
- Lou AntonioKoko
- Robert DrivasLoudmouth Steve
- Strother MartinCaptain
- Jo Van FleetArletta