Day 150: "What we've got here is, failure to communicate."

When choosing the taglines for my blog, I usually try to avoid the big, obvious ones.  In the case of Cool Hand Luke, I'll make the exception.  Released in 1967, Cool Hand Luke is a classic story of rebellion, isolation, and non-conformity from the beginning of one of the most turbulent times in American history.  The movie is another classic from, what I call the "Second Golden Age of Hollywood."  Some of the most brilliantly written, directed, acted and generally made, movies came out of the late sixties to late seventies.  Although this is an amazing portrayal of one man's general malaise growing into defiance, it takes a long while to get going.  The first hour pounds into the audience what kind of life these chain-gang prisoners must become accustomed to, and, believe me, I get it.  I got it after only thirty minutes, after an hour I was getting bored.  Once Luke has found something worth fighting for, then the movie just takes off.  His constant and never ending defiance of a corrupt system was a model for what was going on in the real world at the time. 

Paul Newman's portrayal of Luke was nothing short of astonishing.  His performance is a masterpiece of how to communicate without talking (much).  He delivers very few lines, if you pay attention to it.  Every bit of defiance and contempt for his situation is conveyed through his body language, particularly his facial expressions.  I can't remember the last actor I saw pull off such a nuanced and subtle performance.  George Kennedy won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Dragline, the closest thing Luke has to a friend in the camp.  Kennedy does enough talking for three roles here.  These two characters were two sides of the same coin, in terms of their personalities: one quiet and brooding, the other boisterous and outgoing.  They play off each other wonderfully.

Having now said all of this, I cannot put it in the same pantheon as The Sting, Godfather, or even Young Frankenstein.  As well done as Cool Hand Luke is, and I did enjoy it, it was just too slow in developing for my taste.  I really appreciated the social commentary that it was putting out there, but I couldn't connect with it on the level I wanted to.  A really, really good movie, worth the time to see it, but it does drag a bit.  8.25/10.

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!