38/50x2: Cool Hand Luke

Yet another Paul Newman film on the list. Besides cartoon films and some of the old classics like Wizard of Oz and Gone w/ the Wind this is probably one of the oldest movies I have seen.

And, despite the grade at the end of this - I actually enjoyed it compared to its age. I just have a hard time truly loving older films. Sure there are the occasional ones that stand out - but for the most part, they just don't really do it for me.

Cool Hand Luke is about Lucas Jackson (Newman) who has returned from the Korean War and has not really adjusted well. He is found cutting the tops off of parking meters and drunk as a skunk - for his crimes he is tossed into a a prison camp.

Once in prison he immediately gets on the bad side of the 'leader' Dragline (George Kennedy) and when allowed out in the yard the two throw down. Luke gets his butt handed to him by the much larger Dragline, but he continues to get up despite being bloodied up. For this, he earns the respect of Dragline and the other prisoners. That night he wins a poker game with a lousy hand on a bluff - and Dragline bestows upon him the nickname Cool Hand Luke.

For the most part the rest of the film is Luke and the other prisoner's life inside of the prison. What they do to pass the time, their work duties on the roads and Luke getting in trouble with the guards multiple times. Including a handful of times he tries to escape the prison.

As I said, for an older movie I enjoyed it. It was also cool to see some actors that I have come to know like Kennedy and a much younger Dennis Hopper, who played Babalugats. Before this film I was pretty naive on the films of Newman - but he is a pretty talented actor. I look forward to the few more I will check out in the future.

Grade: