'Cool Hand Luke'

I'm going to go ahead and put my thoughts about Paul Newman out there:

Having seen several of his movies (often for the second or third time) since his death in 2008, I'm concluded that he is severely overrated.

Newman's a good-looking face that movie directors were happy to showcase. He was undeniably lovable and that made his characters seemingly larger than life. Not being old enough to be caught up in the Newman star factor, I see him for what he is: Extremely personable and handsome actor who basically played himself for his entire career. Cool Hand Luke is no different than Eddie Felson, Butch Cassidy or Henry Gondorff.

They all run the same pattern to me: The character is better looking, smarter and physically acute than everyone else (who all dumber, fatter and uglier), but he's a fuck-up because he wants to be. Sure he could've been a general, doctor, lawyer, great writer or artists. But it somehow takes guts to be a fuck-up.

Cool Hand Luke, for example. He got every medal in history during World War II, but advancement was too lame for him. So he -- we assume -- becomes a drunk who breaks open parking meters just for shits and giggles. In fact, he giggles when he's arrested.

Somehow, he gets two years on the chain gang for this (!!!). And it's not even perceived to be a bad chain gang. The "bosses" and captain aren't overly strict or sadistic. You get to play cards, have days off, play musical instruments, drink beer and cola, have money and even somehow procure 50 hard-boiled eggs.

After Luke's mother dies, he is locked in the hole for the sole purpose of preventing him from making a silly decision of running away. Because he's only in for two stinkin' years anyway and we assume a year has run its course.

He gets out of the hole and runs anyway for no real reason but to do it. It doesn't seem like he wants to go anywhere nor did he seem like he wanted out in the first place.

Then he talks about being strapped down by "bosses," "rules" and "regulations." Sorry, Luke. We all wish a charismatic son of a bitch like yourself didn't need to work for a living or maybe not committ crimes and have to be punished for it. It's all God's fault. I mean, he's the one that put the liquor in your belly.

You see, Cool Hand Luke is a perfect example of a guy being held down by the man. Poor Luke! What a piece of shit film.