The man…and the motion picture that simply do not conform.
His crime, nonconformity. His sentence, the chain gang. Paul Newman plays one of his best-loved roles as Cool Hand Luke, the loner who won't - or can't - conform to the arbitrary rules of his captivity. It recalls other hallmark Newman performances, Luke is The Hustler without a dream of victory, Harper without a moral mission, Hud without a father to defy.
