Lucas Jackson pulls a two-year hitch for cutting the heads off parking meters. He’ll serve his time on a chain gang doing roadwork in Florida. Being the new meat in this backwoods prison would be tough for any man. There are rules on top of rules, particular ways to address the guards, and the hierarchy of prisoners to get used to. For Luke, this is going to be especially hard—he’s not someone who abides by any rules. As the captain of the prison notes, Luke was an army veteran who received a number of honors—but got in so much trouble was discharged a private, the same rank he came in.
It takes some doing—including winning a bet by eating 50 eggs in an hour—but Luke eventually wins over his fellow inmates, particularly Dragline, the nominal leader, a big, kind of dumb guy and a survivor. But even Dragline can’t protect Luke from the guards, who are getting fed up with his attitude and start meting out punishments like keeping him locked in “the box” all night. The other inmates see him as a world-shaker, a hell-raisin’ guy who’s maybe not so big, but who’s tough and daring. They idolize him, and his exploits become legend—which is not what Luke wants. When the other men start living vicariously through him, he tells them to back off. What Luke wants is out, and waiting two years is out of the question, so he tries to escape—frequently. But each time an attempt fails, his punishment is worse. —DVDverdict.com
Stuart Rosenberg (August 11, 1927 – March 15, 2007) was an American film and television director whose notable works included the movies Cool Hand Luke (1967), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Amityville Horror (1979), and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984).
Early life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Rosenberg studied Irish literature at New York University in Manhattan, and began working as an apprentice film editor while in graduate school. After advancing to film editor, he then transitioned into directing in 1957 with the syndicated television series Decoy, starring Beverly Garland as an undercover police woman. It was the first police series on American television built around a female protagonist.
Over the next two years, Rosenberg directed 15 episodes of the 1958–1963 ABC police-detective series Naked City, which like Decoy was shot in New York City. Rosenberg was then hired to direct his first film, Murder, Inc. (1960), starring Peter… read more
Tells the stations of the cross of Luke who gains an undeniable Christian stature at the end of the road. You may have some fun by counting the blatant and the less obvious allusions to the Life of Jesus left by the screenwriters here. Academy award (well deserved) earned by George Kennedy in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category. Masterpiece.
The moral of the story: Prison is pretty fun and carefree until you start trying to escape from it!
But playing poker, having egg-eating contests, and watching ridiculous women wash cars is!
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