BEFORE: The last of the prison dramas on my list, and it was supposed to be the last film starring Paul Newman (last seen in "The Towering Inferno"), too - but I just added "The Long, Hot Summer" to the list, so so much for that. Still, tonight's film is probably one of the most glaring omissions from my film knowledge, so it's good to cross it off. (Still to be seen: "Touch of Evil", "Rebel Without a Cause", "Patton", "Gandhi" and "Gone With the Wind") Linking from last night, Burt Lancaster was in "Airport" with George Kennedy (last seen in "The Dirty Dozen").
THE PLOT: A man refuses to conform to life in a rural prison.
AFTER: Man, it doesn't get any more influential than this. Every movie where a sexy woman washes a car? That goes back to "Cool Hand Luke". Plus this movie inspired a Mythbusters episode on whether escaped convicts can evade bloodhounds, and a whole host of eating contests.
Like "Birdman of Alcatraz", it's all about passing the time while in prison. Some men sing and play the banjo, some read, some tell stories. Newman's character tries boxing, ramping up the speed on the work crew, and then trying to eat 50 eggs in an hour. I can totally relate, working at two offices, where my office-mates and I have had falafel-eating contests, gross sandwich challenges, and even bet the over/under on what my cholesterol level was.
And I had my "Cool Hand Luke" moment when I ate a giant deli sandwich, bigger than my head. Took me four hours to do it (with a one-hour break, fortunately there was no time limit on the challenge). But still there's a 12-egg omelette challenge in San Diego that I haven't conquered - if Luke can go for 50 eggs, I should be able to handle 12.
When all that fails to pass the time, Luke sets his sights on escaping. But getting out of a Southern work camp isn't that easy - which makes me wonder how close he was to finishing his 2-year stretch, before his escape attempts undoubtedly extended his sentence.
Taken as a character study, Luke is the one who's unable to conform - this is seen in the crazy offense that gets him locked up in the first place, and the conversation he has when his mother visits, about a normal life, with wife and kids not in the cards for him. He lives by his own rules, but unfortunately those people who don't bend in tough situations have a tendency to break.
I'll tell you who needs to spend some time on a Southern chain gang - the cameramen (and directors) from most TV reality/performance shows, especially "America's Got Talent". If I had my way - for any close-up that's too close, you'd spend the night in the box. For any long shot that's too long, you'd spend the night in the box. Excessive "shaky-cam"? Spend the night in the box. More than three cuts in 10 seconds? Well, you get the idea...
Also starring Strother Martin, Dennis Hopper (last seen in "Giant"), Ralph Waite (last seen in "Five Easy Pieces"), Harry Dean Stanton (last seen in "Kelly's Heroes"), Wayne Rogers, with cameos from Clifton James, Joe Don Baker (last seen in "The Dukes of Hazzard"), James Gammon.
RATING: 6 out of 10 ditches
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