20 Awesome Movies That You Haven’t Seen… And Should!
12. Cool Hand Luke (Stuart Rosenberg, 1967)
Many of the movies on this list are comedies or quirky movies that are meant to provide a laugh, and though you’ll find a few laughs in “Cool Hand Luke,” the film is often viewed as an anti-establishment piece.
Paul Newman’s title character, Lucas “Luke” Jackson is a decorated World War II veteran who is arrested for cutting the heads off parking meters during a night of binge drinking.
He is imprisoned for his crimes in a Florida prison where he is forced to work as part of a chain gang. The film was shot in 1967 during the Vietnam War, but is set in the 1940s in the American South.
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Luke’s character endures physical punishment and psychological abuse, culminating in a sense of hopelessness within his character. In addition to anti-establishment views, the film also contains a great deal of Christian symbolism.
Luke’s character endures the abuse thrust upon him throughout the film, and his influence on his prison mates (along with the torture) is often compared to that of Jesus. “Cool Hand Luke” was based on the novel of the same name written by Donn Pearce in 1965.
