Cool Hand Luke Details

Chiming perfectly with the “Summer of Love” in which it was released, this subtle blend of acknowledging the needs of the individual and respecting a freedom of spirit was one of the key American films of the 1960s. It's basically an old-fashioned chain-gang movie — not much had changed at Warner Bros since the days of Paul Muni's I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang — except that this time the tale is told in stunning Technicolor. Paul Newman is superb in the Muni role, and both the prologue and the egg-eating scene have become screen classics. The religious symbolism does get a little tiresome, but the movie is clearly the career high point of director Stuart Rosenberg and a real credit to Jack Lemmon's production company. The film was also influential in the massive popularity of Raybans!

Allegedly a Christ-allegory, this well-made and good-looking film is only partially successful as an entertainment; slow stretches of soul-searching alternate with brutality, and not much acting is possible.