War veteran Luke gets drunk one night, decapitates several parking meters and winds up on a southern chain gang, where his rebellious ways inspire the other inmates, but infuriate the guards. “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate,” spells out Strother Martin’s captain. The anti-authoritarianism (and Christ symbolism) is laid on thick, but Paul Newman’s still youthful magnetism, his insolence and humour (and Conrad Hall’s sharp Panavision compositions) make this one of his iconic parts. It’s the movie where he eats 50 eggs for a bet. Timely in 1967, it still plays great.
Stuart Rosenberg
Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin
USA
1967
English
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Credits
Screenwriter
Donn Pearce, Frank R. Pierson
Cinematography
Conrad L. Hall
Editor
Sam O’Steen
Original Music
Lalo Schifrin
Art Director
Cary Odell
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