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Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Writers: Donn Pearce & Frank Pierson (screenplay)
Cast: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin
Genre: Drama
The opening scene too was powerful, with the cigar chomping boss man telling the new prisoners the rules...and every broken infraction resulted in a 'night in the box'. The way the men had to address the guards as 'boss' and ask permission for the simplest things was also powerful.
But what didn't work for me was the very jovial nature of the first hour with the men in their bunk house having way too good of a time for what the film had set up as one helluva tough prison. Especially the egg eating contest was a bit hard to swallow
Those light scenes that the director focused on in the first hour caused me to lose my suspension of disbelief, which then took me out of the moment and made me acutely aware I was watching a movie. Actually I kept thinking of TV's Hogan Heroes during that first hour.
The story line is good, but the director IMO made poor choices by focusing a lot of the film on light, nearly comical elements. While we got only a few brief moments of what it was like to be put into the box. The film needed more time in that box! The last 40 minutes or so were by far the best, but if 30 minutes were cut from the first half then this would have been to my liking.
Cool Hand Luke reminded me of Jack Nicholson's Five Easy Pieces, as both films are about baby boomers who are rebelling against the system. It doesn't help that I don't find that particular theme appealing, as I kept thinking Luke wasn't cool, but a big dumb ass...who seemed to have a death wish.
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Writers: Donn Pearce & Frank Pierson (screenplay)
Cast: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin
Genre: Drama
Cool Hand Luke was my #6 choice for the 1960s Countdown.
After I rewatched this I realized I didn't really remember it at all and it didn't really work for me this time around. I have to say I was bored in the first half and there were only a few scenes that had any emotional impact on me. The most potent was the forced punishment of digging and then refilling a ditch by a very weary Luke. In that moment the film was great, especially after he returns to the bunkhouse a beaten man, crawling on the floor and the other prisoners are in utter disbelief. The opening scene too was powerful, with the cigar chomping boss man telling the new prisoners the rules...and every broken infraction resulted in a 'night in the box'. The way the men had to address the guards as 'boss' and ask permission for the simplest things was also powerful.
But what didn't work for me was the very jovial nature of the first hour with the men in their bunk house having way too good of a time for what the film had set up as one helluva tough prison. Especially the egg eating contest was a bit hard to swallow
Those light scenes that the director focused on in the first hour caused me to lose my suspension of disbelief, which then took me out of the moment and made me acutely aware I was watching a movie. Actually I kept thinking of TV's Hogan Heroes during that first hour.The story line is good, but the director IMO made poor choices by focusing a lot of the film on light, nearly comical elements. While we got only a few brief moments of what it was like to be put into the box. The film needed more time in that box! The last 40 minutes or so were by far the best, but if 30 minutes were cut from the first half then this would have been to my liking.
Cool Hand Luke reminded me of Jack Nicholson's Five Easy Pieces, as both films are about baby boomers who are rebelling against the system. It doesn't help that I don't find that particular theme appealing, as I kept thinking Luke wasn't cool, but a big dumb ass...who seemed to have a death wish.