Cool Hand Luke Movie Review Analysis
"Cool Hand Luke" is a classic film about nonconformity and the anti-hero. Paul Newman is Luke, a loner and non-conformist who cannot stand theconfines of prison. Luke always has to defy authority, but once inside, hemanages to bring a motley crew of convicts together, creating a cohesivebond between the men, and a deeper understanding of who they are and howthey got where they are. Luke quickly discovers life in prison is aboutgrueling work and a never-ending set of rules the convicts must live byevery second of every day. "Any man don't bring back his empty pop bottlespends a night in the box. Any man loud-talkin' spends a night in the box. You got questions, you come to me... Any man don't keep order spends anight in the box" (Cool Hand Luke, 1967). Each of the various guards andbosses are cruel and obsessive men who like nothing more than to beat theprisoners into submission. Luke can see through them, and so they find him Luke's rebellious spirit cannot take the constant control, and he runsaway from the chain gang, only to be caught and punished. Unbroken, heruns away again, and is again caught and viciously punished. Still, he
To stand up to authority is torisk censure and even death. Philosophically andethically, however, it was the only choice open to a man like Luke. To make a man live a life that is morallyobjectionable to him is wrong, just as the guards were wrong in theirtreatment of the men. failure to communicate" is probably one of the most famous filmlines from any movie, but what that line implies is really the heart andsoul of this film. Their situation has notreally changed, and so, Luke has died in vain. It seems a silly and unjust punishment for a petty crime, but that is onlythe beginning. " In the end,Luke's rebellion gets him killed, but the men revere him as his rebelliousspirit lives on in the group. "That's youranswer ol' Man' I guess you're a hard case too" (Cool Hand Luke, 1967). In his time,Christ was the ultimate nonconformist, and so, it is understandable thatLuke and his situation could be compared to what Christ went through. While his attitude is admirable, it isquite clearly self-destructive. Watching this film is at once amusing and terrifying. Many critics believe Luke is a Christ figure in the film, and hischain gang friends are the disciples he leads to moral freedom, withDragline the Judas the Betrayer figure. Lukeis not a bad man, and yet he dies the death of a criminal, when all hewanted was freedom and decent treatment.
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