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- 126 Minutes
- Warner Bros.
- Language English
- Country USA
- Rated:
- Format: 2.35:1
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- Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
- Written by Donn Pearce, Frank R. Pierson
- Starring George Kennedy, Paul Newman
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When Luke Jackson is arrested for drunkenly vandalizing parking meters, he is sentenced to serve time on a prison chain gang. Although the warden, guards and prisoners all try to break Luke's spirit upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that Luke is not about to play by anyone else's rules. He eventually earns the respect of his fellow inmates by refusing to back down in a fight, and he earns their friendship by figuring out a way for them to get their hard labor done in half the time. Luke eventually becomes a symbol of hope and resilience for his fellow prisoners, but the more he becomes revered by the inmates, the more he becomes a symbol of rebelliousness that must be stamped out by the guards and the warden.
Won: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Kennedy), 1968 Academy Awards
Nominated: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Newman), Best Writing - Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Music - Original Music Score, 1968 Academy Awards
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That traditional object of sorrow and compassion in American folk song and lore, the chain-gang prisoner, is given as strong a presentation as ever he has had on the screen.
- More on Cool Hand Luke:
- Profile of director Stuart Rosenberg