Cool Hand Luke

**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. In a very specific way, I think this film fits very well into this movement, giving us the story of a man who made mistakes and paid – that's for sure – and who, between hits and misses, wanted to find his own space in the world and live life on his terms. Luke Jackson is truly a non-conformist man and the face of a generation of people increasingly dissatisfied with the society in which they live. The film makes clear that he had everything in his hands to have other destiny, a stable and comfortable life, but that his own actions ruined everything. Why? Because that wasn't enough, and he wanted something different. Maybe he didn't know exactly what he wanted, but he knew exactly what he didn't want: to feel subjugated. This expresses what American society, particularly young people, had been feeling: no more meaningless rules, absolute dogmas, ostracism and sacred cows. In that prison where even to urinate or drink water they have to ask permission, Luke questioned all. A good story, very well written and with magnificent dialogues, is accompanied by a good work of cinematography, sets and costumes, and an effective direction guaranteed by Stuart Rosenberg. It is in the editing work that I felt the biggest mistakes were made, giving the film an uneven rhythm, as the film was composed of a collage of episodes from Luke's time in that work camp. That is, it lacks the idea and feeling of unity and fluidity, with several situations similar to each other and a certain absence of dramatic tension, more palpable in the final half. Paul Newman provides a strong and charismatic lead and was a safe bet to play the rebel hero. Fortunately for us, the film has the support of several other great actors in supporting roles, preventing it from being a one-man effort. George Kennedy, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor thanks to this film, stands out from the crowd thanks to a careful performance, the best of this actor's career. Worthy of mention are also the efforts of J. D. Cannon, Jo Van Fleet, Lou Antonio and Strother Martin.