MY earliest introduction to this movie was the line "just like Cool Hand Luke". I heard that line for the first time when I was about nine years old, and that was long after the movie had been released.
Some of the older boys in my neighbourhood were making a reference to that movie that was released in 1967. Of course, I didn't know anything about that. All I knew was, the description "cool hand Luke" sounded pretty cool to me.
Years later when I was much older, Cool Hand Luke was screened over TV. It was one of those evenings when I found myself in front of the television.
In fact, I was always sitting in front of the TV. Not exactly the healthiest activity around but we didn't have much in terms of entertainment in those days.
Suddenly, like a beam of light shining on top of my head, I realised who those big boys had been referring, it was Paul Newman!
When Newman played Lucas Jackson in Cool Hand Luke, he was more or less an old timer in Hollywood. At that time, he was at the "ripe old age" of 42.
Almost everybody knew who was Paul Newman. He was that irritatingly handsome, blue-eyed husband of Joanne Woodward.
To irritate his female admirers and fans even more, Newman was that kind of faithful man who didn't stray like the rest of the weak mortal men.
Three things more or less describe Cool Hand Luke. They are individualism, prison reform and justice. This is not a film about a hero who just can't be defeated, killed or conquered.
Luke was actually shot and dying in the final scene. There, I have said it, to save you the trouble of guessing the ending.
But that doesn't mean it is not a great movie. In fact, it is considered another one of those American classics.
If Paul Newman had not played the lead role, Cool Hand Luke might not have attained the cult status that it had achieved.
The blue-eyed, handsome actor turned the character of Lucas Jackson around and made him quite endearing and charming.
The plot evolves around this recalcitrant young man who thought it would be fun to remove the heads of parking meters. To make it more interesting, Luke is also a war hero.
For his crime, he was sentenced to two years' jail. His prison term involves hard labour with a chain gang working on those dirty, dusty Southern roads.
Early in the show, the viewer would quickly realise that Luke is a non-conformist who makes it his life-mission to buck the establishment. So this lands him into trouble with the prison authorities, especially the warden (Martin Strother) who goes by the nickname "captain"
The Captain's advice is easy to remember because he simply says: "Now, it's all up to you. Now I can be a good guy, or I can be one real mean son-of-a-bitch. It's all up to you."
Luke's attitude quickly gets him into trouble with the "big man" in the chain gang, Dragline (George Kennedy).
They have a showdown because it's the only decent way to settle a quarrel in prison and the authorities allow it.
Luke gets the beating of his life and subsequently earns Dragline's grudging respect. Cool Hand Luke is not your ordinary prison movie because it doesn't have a Grade B plot and actually sets your mind thinking about what an ideal prison system should be like.
Luke reminds me of some pals I used to know in school. The tag "Cool Hand" comes from Luke's successful showdown with another prison inmate at a a high stakes poker game.
Luke, of course, had almost nothing in his hand and yet he overcame the odds and pocketed the huge winnings, thus earning him great respect and the title of "Cool Hand".
There are two things that I remember vividly about this movie. One, the incident where Luke took up the challenge of eating 50 hard-boiled eggs in an hour. That episode put me off eggs for a long time.
The second memorable feature was "the man with no eyes". He was prison guard Boss Godfrey (Morgan Woodward) who was always wearing a pair of mercury-coated sunglasses and hardly talks.
Boss Godfrey projects the stern, uncompromising attitude of the establishment that Luke loves to shake up.
Being a sharpshooter helps give Cool Hand Luke that gritty edge that elevates it above the run-of-the-mill prison tales.
I was shocked to learn that TV series star Telly "Kojak" Savalas was actually considered for the lead role of Cool Hand Luke before Paul Newman got it. I really can't imagine how Savalas would have fitted into the role.
Cool Hand Luke is about how a non-conformist, loner can "beat the system" even when he is down.
Pay special attention to Luke's face as he turns to look out of the car as he is being driven away in the final scene.
The show has an open-ended finale that will satisfy most arthouse movie fans.
There are some great lines in CHL (Cool Hand Luke). Among them is "what we have got here is a failure to communicate".
This particular phrase, I believe, has been copied shamelessly by several directors and scriptwriters over the decades.
I think I shall use it the next time I turn down an oral request for a particular day-off by a subordinate.
By the way, Cool Hand Luke won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The honour went to George Kennedy in his role as Dragline.