Cool Hand Luke
The man... and the motion picture that simply do not conform.
1967 • 127 min • Drama · Crime
Synopsis
When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers.
Our family guide
Best from age 13- 100 Reviewers · 2 · 51%
- 77 Audience · 1656 · 49%
Petty criminal Luke Jackson is sent to a Florida prison farm, where his unbreakable spirit and refusal to conform earn him both the admiration of fellow inmates and the wrath of the cruel prison staff. Despite harsh punishments and repeated escapes, Luke remains a symbol of defiance against an oppressive system.
- Violence & peril
- 6/10
- Language
- 3/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 3/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 1/10
- Scary moments
- 4/10
Heads up
- Frequent physical beatings and harsh punishments in prison
- References to death and loss of a loved one
- Some drinking and smoking
What it models well
- Resilience in the face of adversity
- Standing up for personal freedom
- The human spirit’s capacity for hope
Talk about it after
- What does it mean to be truly free?
- The importance of empathy and understanding others' struggles
- How different people cope with injustice
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Cool Hand Luke. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
Stream
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Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
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- Amazon Video
- Apple TV Store
- Google Play Movies
- YouTube
- Fandango At Home
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Top billed cast
Director: Stuart Rosenberg • Crew: Frank Pierson, Donn Pearce, Hal Dresner
Trailers & clips
Quentin Tarantino on Cool Hand Luke
Failure to Communicate
Luke Boxes Dragline
I Can Eat Fifty Eggs
The Making of Cool Hand Luke
Full Movie Preview
4K Trailer
That Ol' Luke Smile Scene
Reviewer notes
RecommendedTrusted family reviewers**Celebrate rebellion at a time when everything deserved to be questioned.** The late sixties marked the rise of a culture of rebellion and challenge to the established order. Young people, university students, minorities, suddenly society goes into upheaval and begins to question and make demands.…
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersOh Luke you wild beautiful thing! Luke (Paul Newman) lands himself in a Deep South prison farm for drunkenly cutting the heads off of parking meters. Once at the farm Luke refuses to be ground down by the system and its grinning warden (a brilliant Strother Martin). As things role by Luke becomes something of a hero to his fellow inmates and this is not lost on the authority in charge of the farm.…
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Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 7.7/10 (1,656)
- Age rating
- PG
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $3,200,000
- Box office
- $16,217,773
- IMDb
- tt0061512
