Cool Hand Luke: The Man Against the Machine

A sweltering Florida chain gang. Mirrored sunglasses reflecting only your own desperate face. Fifty hard-boiled eggs and one man determined to defy expectations. "What we've got here is failure to communicate" isn't just the most famous line from Cool Hand Luke – it's the perfect distillation of this landmark film's exploration of rebellion against authority.

Our deep dive into this 1967 masterpiece reveals why Paul Newman's portrayal of Luke Jackson remains one of cinema's most enduring symbols of resistance. Sentenced to two years for the minor offense of decapitating parking meters, Luke transforms from troublemaker to legend through his refusal to bow to the system. From the brutal boxing match where he won't stay down to his daring escapes that inspire his fellow inmates, Luke's journey resonates with anyone who's ever felt crushed by institutional power.

The religious symbolism throughout the film surprised us – Luke as a Christ-like figure sacrificing himself for others, the crucifixion pose after eating fifty eggs, his final confrontation in a church. We explore how director Stuart Rosenberg created authentic performances by keeping actors in prison-like conditions during filming, even having them pave actual roads under the Florida sun. Paul Newman's determination to personally learn "Plastic Jesus" on the banjo resulted in one of the film's most moving scenes.

Whether you're revisiting this classic or discovering it for the first time, Cool Hand Luke's examination of freedom, identity, and resistance against conformity remains as powerful today as when it first shocked audiences. Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand – and sometimes a film from 1967 can still shake your world.

Check out entertainthispodcast.com or follow us on social media @entertainthis_ to join our ongoing exploration of films that shaped cinema history.

Transcript

Podcast Introduction & Social Media

Speaker 1 0:00

What we've got here is failure to communicate, like and subscribe. Like and subscribe Patreon gives money.

Speaker 2 0:28

Hey, hey, hey.

Speaker 1 0:29

Welcome to Entertain this. It's a podcast about movies.

Speaker 2 0:32

TV shows and video games. All right old man. All right Old man.

Speaker 1 0:41

Hayden, I'm.

Speaker 3 0:42

Tom, I'm Mitch, I'm Hayden, what?

Speaker 1 0:46

are you? I'm Mitch, I'm Hayden. What are you, Harrison Ford? Now I want my podcast back, Plus I'm more like you, I'll just eat dirt. I guess I'll do the show. Yes, we are Tom Mitch and Hayden and this is Entertain. This, it's a podcast about movies, tv shows and video games. Our last episode we did our deep dive into Batman, batman 1989. X-men I know, I know bitch.

Speaker 1 1:18

That's enough. You're going to jail. Speaking of going to jail, we're going to talk about a movie about someone who goes to prison, the 1967 American prison drama Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman.

Speaker 3 1:32

Now I know why it's called Cool Hand Luke after watching this movie.

Speaker 1 1:36

Because sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.

Speaker 2 1:40

Yeah, that was stupid. Sorry, my bad.

Speaker 1 1:43

You're stupid.

Speaker 3 1:44

He was speaking your language. If you were personified in a movie, it would be that big doping guy.

Speaker 1 1:50

No, he'd be Dennis Hopper's character going. You're Babaluga, that's who you are. The spoons guy yeah, but before we get into this film, social media, tom. You can check us out at entertainthispodcastcom. You can also follow us on xinstagram and tiktok at entertainthis underscore and check us out on patreon. It's on patreoncom. Forward slash entertainthis underscore. If you got a dollar, if you got two, why stop at two? Why not five?

Speaker 2 2:20

ten's a great round number but there's also free membership as well, there's also free membership.

Speaker 1 2:24

You don, there's also free membership. You don't have to be one of those. You know free. You know only kind of people.

Speaker 3 2:30

Donate $1,000. We'll come to your house and record a podcast.

Speaker 1 2:32

We'll let you just take the show. We'll sign it over to you. You can have it. Tom will send pictures of his feet too. Yeah, I will you, All of my hairy feet and my hairy toes Only Tom's Only feet's Only entertain feet's.

Speaker 3 2:49

We could dress our feet up as iconic characters from movies.

Speaker 1 2:52

This Cool Hand Luke film. This might actually be the highest rated film we've probably talked about.

Speaker 3 2:58

What's it?

Speaker 1 2:58

rated. It's got 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and it's a 95 on the popcorn. Are you the only one?

Speaker 2 3:03

that's watched it.

Speaker 3 3:04

No, it is a classic. I just don't like it. It is you don't like it because it's old.

Speaker 2 3:09

It's because you don't like old things. It's not even that.

Speaker 3 3:12

I just didn't like the story Mitch like I said, you do realize you yourself is an old thing.

Speaker 2 3:17

I do. I don't think you been other movies that have done the same thing better.

Speaker 3 3:23

Well, not originally.

Speaker 2 3:26

You're right, they're not the original one.

Speaker 3 3:29

This is 1967. What's the movie from the 60s that you can even think about? Exactly Because you don't like old things Right.

Speaker 1 3:37

We're trying to culture you, yeah.

Speaker 2 3:39

Remember this algorithm thing we're trying to work on. It's 100% on Rotten Tomatoes Mitch 100%. Remember this algorithm thing we're trying to work on All right.

Speaker 1 3:45

Well, anyway, it's 100% on Rotten Tomatoes Mitch. 100% it doesn't go any higher.

Speaker 3 3:51

Those tomatoes are not rotten.

Speaker 1 3:52

No, they are prime.

Speaker 2 3:54

How often are they always right, though? Picked Snow White was predicted to be pretty good.

Speaker 1 3:59

Look, critics, Look, everyone knew. But that's also the critics' rating. It's 100%, but the popcorn meter which is us watching it is 95.

Speaker 3 4:07

Snow White was not predicted to be good. No, there was a budget Some of the critics did. It was a budget of like 300 plus million. Yeah, they predicted they were going to make 55 million. On their opening week they made 42. Yeah, you know. So they're never going to get that money back. Oh no, there goes your next favorite Star Wars movie.

Speaker 2 4:26

Thanks, snow White.

Speaker 3 4:26

Actually they didn't announce some of those Anywho.

Speaker 2 4:30

Ryan Gosling's in one.

Speaker 3 4:33

Not the.

Speaker 1 4:33

Gosling. But we're talking about Cool Hand Luke, directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Screenplay by Don Pierce and Frank Pearson, which is based on the book Cool Hand Luke by Don Pierce, produced by Gordon Carroll, starring Paul Newman, george Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance, jd Cannon, robert Dreyfuss, Lou Antonio Strother, martin and Joe Van Fleet. Cinematography by Conrad Hall, edited by Sam Osteen. Osteen Music by Lalo Schifrin, produced by Jalen Productions, distributed by Warner Brothers on a budget of $3.2 million.

Speaker 3 5:09

The guy who wrote this movie wrote the book. Also did the screenplay Semi-autobiographical because he was in a chain gang in Florida and they actually shot most of this movie at the prison scene where he was in a chain gang.

Speaker 1 5:27

I did know that. Thank you for those tidbits of information. Well, now you do. I did not research. Any of that Ends up with a box office return of $16.2 million.

Speaker 3 5:38

That's a lot of money back in the 60s.

Speaker 2 5:41

That's a lot of money in 1967.

Speaker 1 5:44

Roger Ebert called Cool Hand Luke an anti-establishment film shot during emerging popular opposition to the Vietnam War. Vietnam the Vietnam, which I think is the premise of this movie, is just going against the grain, almost it's anti. It's going against the man. Going against the boss, the man, the boss, the almost it's anti. It's going against the man, going against the boss, the man, the boss, the bosses.

Cool Hand Luke: Film Overview

Speaker 2 6:08

Yes, boss, taking it off boss, taking it off here, boss, putting it on here, boss, that got annoying.

Speaker 3 6:15

The bosses were obviously like all right, yeah, okay fine.

Speaker 1 6:19

All right, fine, well, you got to tell the boss.

Speaker 2 6:20

You're sitting here wiping your sweat off your brow.

Speaker 1 6:21

Come on now those were to be giving it a shake here boss tying it over here, boss jerking it off here.

Speaker 3 6:29

Boss, all right all right, let's take it for the beginning, because I have notes.

Speaker 1 6:35

So this is. There's a lot of imagery stuff I think we could talk about, probably after we do like, I guess, a run through the plot. Sure of things happening. Yeah, so, set in early 1950s, florida, decorated world war ii veteran luke jackson drunkenly behead several parking meters. They didn't deserve that it's poor parking meters destruction of municipal, malicious destruction of municipal property we haven't got that here before I'm just gonna say the punishment didn't fit the crime. He got two years for cutting the heads off parking meters.

Speaker 2 7:06

Yeah, that's more like well, at least nowadays that's probation.

Speaker 3 7:12

Well, you know, we had higher standards back then.

Speaker 1 7:15

It was different back in those days, true In early 1950s there was a couple of times where they said stuff.

Speaker 3 7:19

You're like oh man, this is an old movie Like, where the guy's like a really religious dude, he's like I've never had to kill a white man before and you're like but you've killed a white man.

Speaker 1 7:30

Native Americans.

Speaker 2 7:31

Asians.

Speaker 1 7:33

Can you expound upon that? A little bit, he's confronted by two police officers who promptly arrest him, and he's subsequently sent to the chain gang where he has to deal with the warden or the captain and the bosses. And learn, I guess, the nuances of chain gang life.

Speaker 3 7:54

The culture.

Speaker 1 7:55

And the culture and hierarchy.

Speaker 3 7:56

You will refer to me as boss. Yes, boss.

Speaker 1 8:01

Any man who turns in the wrong street spends a night in the box. Any man who forgets his spoon spends a night in the box. Any man who forgets his spoon spends a night in the box.

Speaker 3 8:05

Any man who doesn't wipe back the front in the box. The box, I'm God. The floor walker.

Speaker 2 8:12

What I'm confused is when they put him in the box, why do they just basically give him a nightgown? Because it's hot, that was just strange, because it's hot yeah.

Speaker 3 8:22

What did you want them to be naked?

Speaker 2 8:24

Well, I'm just wondering why they had them in a nightgown. They had a uniform.

Speaker 1 8:31

They got to give them some sense of decency. Maybe it's a little drafty, it's a little nicer.

Speaker 3 8:35

And then you give them pants. Because it's such a tight, confined area it would be too hard to take your pants off.

Speaker 1 8:40

Pants is a luxury. The poop, the poop. Any man who forgets his number spends the night in the box. Any man who doesn't like this movie spends the night in the box. Make me so. We're introduced to the Chang Gang group because they're out working whatever, swinging their yo-yos I think that's what they call them in the movie. Yeah, those bladed. Those are sling blades. Yeah, sling blades that they're cutting overgrown grass on the sides of roads. And the new truck comes by and you see the bosses and you get Boss Godfrey or the man with no eyes with his mirrored sunglasses.

Speaker 1 9:14

Yeah, lots to talk about that character but continue on and as the vehicle passes, you kind of get a little bit of a I guess, an introduction to some of the characters you're going to see, because they all look and they make a bet on how many guys are inside and it's like, oh, that's right, it's got to be more than five guys. And it's like, no, it's got to be less than five. And it's like, all right, we got to bet. And it's like, just gamble on nothing, because there's nothing else to do.

Speaker 1 9:45

They do. That's pretty realistic. I would imagine that is pretty, knowing what we know. That is incredibly realistic. And then they're brought, you know, the prisoners, the new guys are brought before Strother Martin, who plays the captain, and he's got on his white shirt and his nice big straw hat and he's, you know, he's like manslaughter 15 years. And the guy says something, the dude just decks him.

Speaker 3 10:02

It was an accident. I shouldn't be here.

Speaker 1 10:05

He's like you don't talk unless the captain talks to you. And he's like oh, and then one guy says something. He goes what did I just say? So he grabs him and it's like Lucas Jackson we find out he was a war hero. It's like silver star, bronze star, a few purple hearts, you went in the same way you came out Buck private.

Speaker 1 10:27

It's like yeah, I reckon I was just passing time, which I guess is we get a little bit more on Luke's character, that he's just kind of just going through life with no set.

Speaker 3 10:37

Right. He was probably against the grain His whole life, even in the military, because he left as a private. He never got promoted, but he was a good soldier because he got all those awards. He makes it the sergeant, but he comes out as a Right because he went against the grain Because he punched a superior officer Right who probably needed it, so like he's always been challenging. You know a free spirit if you will Natural born world shaker. We're going to shake the world together.

Speaker 1 11:04

Sit with my boy Cool hand Luke.

Speaker 2 11:08

That's you.

Speaker 1 11:08

Mitch.

Speaker 3 11:09

That's you.

Speaker 1 11:12

It's you. You were watching, george.

Speaker 2 11:12

Kennedy was playing you in the future yes.

Speaker 3 11:16

Yes, stay down.

Speaker 1 11:17

Luke. So they're, you know, giving their uniforms. You know, I remember, you know where you spend the night in the box with Clinton James, who played that wild sheriff guy in two James Bond movies, the ones with Roger Moore. You either watch these.

Speaker 2 11:32

Dude, I didn't like those either.

Speaker 1 11:35

Live and Let Die and the man with the Golden Gun.

Speaker 3 11:37

Live and Let Die.

Speaker 1 11:47

Now it's stuck in my head. So they're introduced to the prison life. The other guys come back and they count how many of them there are and then there's a bad. The other one guy lost and the one was played by Wayne Rogers, whose character is Gambler, who plays Trapper John in MASH in the first three seasons.

Speaker 3 12:02

That's right. I was like where do I recognize?

Speaker 1 12:05

that guy? Why does that guy look so familiar?

Speaker 3 12:06

You know what? He's got a pretty good voice. One of the songs he was singing I was like no, look at that guy.

Speaker 1 12:11

That's Harry Dean Stanton.

Speaker 3 12:13

Where's he from?

Speaker 1 12:14

Alien. I'm surprised you didn't pick that up immediately.

Speaker 3 12:18

I saw his face and then you said MASH, and I was like he's got a MASH face.

Speaker 1 12:22

Wayne Rogers plays Gambler. Harry Dean Sand plays a character called Tramp, the one who plays the guitar and sings all the time. But he's also in Alien.

Speaker 3 12:30

Yeah, he's the one with the cat.

Speaker 1 12:33

Yeah, he gets killed with the chains and stuff.

Luke vs. Dragline: The Iconic Fight

Speaker 3 12:35

The cat just watches him die yeah as most cats probably would Anyway.

Speaker 2 12:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1 12:42

You know, their first night in prison they learn. Then they go out and it's just like don't take my spot and you're yelling.

Speaker 2 12:48

It's like I didn't know it was taken Cool.

Speaker 1 12:51

And then he calls he's like you're just a hillbilly tramp. And then George Kennedy's character is Dragline, who's kind of like the impromptu boss of the whole crowd. Well, there's Carr, there's boss car, the floor walker played by Clifton James. But all of them say, like you don't get a name here until Dragline gives you one. So that's where Harry D Sanden gets his name and everybody just calls him Tramp for the rest of the entire film.

Speaker 2 13:15

I guess I've been called worse.

Speaker 1 13:17

And then some other guy comes up and they're just like shut up.

Speaker 2 13:21

He's like ugh.

Speaker 1 13:23

And he, you know, goes off on his way. And then they start their first day and the character who plays Coco cons out the dude who's here for manslaughter. He's like, oh yeah, I'm working the broom. He's like, oh, it's a hot one. And you see, all the seasoned prisoners are just looking at each other like, oh, these guys are falling for it so easily. And the guy's like, oh, I pay 50 cents. He's like I couldn't do it for 50 cents. He's like at least a buck. And the guy's like I'll give you a dollar. He goes sold and they're like, hands him the money and the boss shoves the shotgun in the dude's chest, the double barrel, and he's just like, get to work, get to work and that. And they go through and they're working and swinging their sling blades and working. There's tension between Dragline and Luke because Luke's against the grain, going against the order and the hierarchy. And then they go back and they send that guy who paid for a job that didn't exist to the box.

Speaker 1 14:18

Yeah, and that's where you realize it's just a very, it's a port-a-john.

Speaker 2 14:22

Yeah.

Speaker 1 14:22

It's basically what it is. It's a brick floor with four walls. You get two pots.

Speaker 3 14:26

I don't know one's water and one's to poop in.

Speaker 1 14:29

One's to piss and poop in. Yeah, you get a nightgown and it's you can just stand, don't mix them up in the dark. You can just stand Like you can't lay down. Yeah, deterrent For some people, one might say After their first night or whatever, they go back out and then you get Lucille, his ma'am no not his ma'am. The blonde woman who comes out with the radio to wash the car while all of them are just sweating and dying, and she just comes out barely hooked up.

Speaker 3 15:04

I read about that and the director uh, I'll give a scroll stewart rosenberg he uh intentionally kept the cast like in a prison setting uh, and they were like void of, like you know, going to cities. They weren't allowed to like go out and like have they're. They're segregated throughout the entire production and he, he tried desperately just to keep this actress on on, say, on the shooting scene, for like one day, you know. But like I guess the guys were just like losing their mind and like they were like they couldn't get takes just the right way, so like they had to keep her there for three days Almost, like the actors were intentionally, you know you just keep doing it, yeah, so and you know, like the actors, like they legitimately paved the whole road.

Speaker 2 15:56

But uh in in Florida.

Speaker 1 15:57

They had them do it like for real oh wow, yeah, and you know, so they were, they were, they were basically prisoners like those rows that they were on, like those were worked by the Florida Department of Corrections by like chain gangs in the 60s and they had those actors actually pave one road. Yeah, okay, to our and everything later on in the in the film. So they're all watching the show and, like you know, put it on. He puts on some and he takes it. He's like damn things are blocking the scenery.

Speaker 1 16:23

And they're all just working, sweating and staring at her and losing it.

Speaker 3 16:27

She's eating it up too. Yeah, and she's living it up.

Speaker 1 16:30

It's like women would do that crap to guys and you're just amazed none of them took off running after her. It's just like they would have been shot, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 16:46

She's trying to claim a body in a different way I killed three men with these puppets.

Speaker 1 16:50

Got them to run off the line and they're going nuts. And then they go back and drag line's, going on and on about it and Luke's like just stop beating it to death. Like it happened. Just everybody enjoyed it like enough. It's like you're not doing anybody any good now talking about it, because they're all just laying there. And you guys are like any good now talking about it, because they're all just laying there and guys are like I gotta go to the bathroom and like the, the boss, who's like inside, like the little prison thing like behind the cage, like he grabs the shotgun because he doesn't know what they're doing and like guys are just splashing themselves in the face with water which, if it was today, that would not be the reason why they're going to the bathroom.

Speaker 1 17:18

No, in fact, there's actually two two side actors you see during these parts who are background guys. One of them is in two James Bond films.

Speaker 3 17:30

Okay.

Speaker 1 17:31

As a bad guy and as a good guy.

Speaker 3 17:33

Okay.

Speaker 1 17:34

With Timothy Dalton in Living Daylights and then in GoldenEye. Oh, he's the CIA guy who helps Brosnan in. Goldeneye he's in this movie and the coach from Major League he's in this movie too. He just doesn't have the giant mustache and he's not pissing on contracts and yelling at Charlie Sheen. That's funny. So Luke and Dragline now run afoul of each other because Luke's challenging them and he challenges them to the boxing match because they have sanctioned fights on Saturday afternoons.

Speaker 3 18:04

Which is actually kind of a good idea.

Speaker 1 18:06

Yeah, let them just settle it.

Speaker 3 18:08

Yeah.

The 50-Egg Bet Challenge

Speaker 1 18:09

At a pre-scheduled ordained time. If you've got a problem, it's like if there's no fight and you spend the night in the box. If you want a fight, you fight Saturday afternoon. Yeah, but.

Speaker 2 18:20

What? What? Like there's, no, I don't know. There was nobody trying to stop him, so like they were just going to let this guy beat him.

Speaker 1 18:28

It's a sanctioned fight.

Speaker 2 18:29

Well, I'm just saying they were just going to let them beat him to death. They all watched, yeah.

Speaker 3 18:34

I mean like they had gloves on. It's not like. I mean, if it got out of control they would have stopped it. I don but yeah I I look in the military we would do this, and people who like hated each other. They fought with gloves on and then they'd be like best friends. That's usually how it works and obviously it worked like that in the movie too.

Speaker 1 18:56

It becomes that way in this film. So dragline beats the ever-loving crap out of luke and he's just mopping the floor with him. But Luke just never gives up. He never stops fighting. Even when Dragoine picks him up, he's still trying to hit him, and when he drops him down to his knees, he looks at Dragoine and pops him in the face.

Speaker 1 19:14

And just like pow and just backhands him in the next year. And even the guys they're all watching, they're all excited, like yeah, yeah, it's a fight, yeah. And then like as it keeps going and like luke still won't back down he's just getting pummeled.

Speaker 2 19:28

They're like you know, so we should stop this, yeah, and guys are just kind of like walking off. I think a guy with a silver star would be a little bit of fighter well, I mean, he never stopped fighting.

Speaker 3 19:32

That's the he didn't fight at all, he's got beat up no, he threw a lot of punches, drag lands, got like 100 pounds on him he's just such a bigger person.

Speaker 2 19:43

And he's just, and even Dragline's just like stay down.

Speaker 1 19:45

He's like you're beat and he's like no, and he keeps going. But he earns everyone's respect that he won't ever, he won't, give in to someone else who's stronger. He continues to fight, which then leads to the card game.

Speaker 3 19:59

Yeah. Where Dragline and Luke become tight with each other or more drag line acquiesce becomes like luke's guy because, like the guy who's betting against luke because he asks drag line, what, what should I do? Like because they all can't live and they can't eat or breathe without, like him, giving him advice. And then like, eventually, drag lines, like I don't know, you're on your own.

Speaker 1 20:21

You know, because they're sitting there playing or whatever, and he's just like take a buck, take a buck, and he's just like he's got kings and he's just like what he got and he shows you. He's like he holds up his cards and he's just like. He's like call him. He's like you gotta show him he's calm. And then he's like he like he calls him again. He's like damn, because he's like yeah, I'll raise you a buck. And he's like take a buck, as he's like throwing money. And then he looks up at drago's like he's like don't look at me. And he's just like he's got kings. He's like get out of there. He's like, yeah, I'll fold. And he's like, yeah, everybody's like yeah, I already know. And Drago's like he walks over to Luke's car. He goes, you want to see him. He flips him over. He's like there you go, and it's just garbage cars. And he's like bluffed him, nothing.

Speaker 1 21:03

And then Luke opens up his cold drink as they call it with his necklace bottle opener and he's like sometimes nothing could be a real cool hand. And then that's where he dragline, christens him cool hand Luke and he moves and sits down next to Luke and the two of them form a partnership of sorts.

Speaker 3 21:22

They bond, they bond.

Speaker 1 21:27

They kiss a little bit. Any man caught kissing spends the night in the box. I didn't have it you couldn't film that 1967 there would be a fight, yeah unless it was like Rock Hudson or somebody yeah, hollywood rumors aside, moving on fight.

Speaker 3 21:48

Yeah, unless it was like rock hudson or somebody.

Speaker 1 21:49

Yeah, yeah, all right, hollywood rumors aside, moving on moving on, luke is visited by his like sick and dying mother yeah who they just drive up in the truck and she's like laying out in the back she wasn't even a truck, she was like in a carriage.

Speaker 3 22:02

It's funny because she like they made her, they, they make up their, look all sickly and stuff.

Speaker 2 22:06

She looked to be about the same age as Paul Newman Well that's why, because when I was watching I was having to watch very quietly and I was confused. I was like that's his mom. Yeah, she looked like maybe his wife or something.

Speaker 3 22:18

And they had the most depressing conversation ever. Yeah, it was like she basically said. Like she basically said she had bitter hopes for him. He crushed her spirit and all this other stuff. He was her favorite Her other son's right there, Stuff like that yeah, or it's her husband-ish kind of person. Or partner, that's her other son's there with his wife and kid.

Speaker 1 22:50

He's right there and he's taking care of her. She's just like you're still the favorite, though.

Speaker 3 22:52

yeah, pretty much I'm in prison he's like I'm gonna give joe or john or whatever the house because I feel like I've you know I haven't given him enough he deserves something yeah, because I haven't done anything for you or for him. I've done everything for you and luke's like yeah it, it's fair.

Speaker 1 23:08

He's like I agree. Then he hands him the banjo and he's just like yeah. He's like no, there's no reason to come back. Yeah, like his brother's like get the hell out of here. Like I'm sick of you. I hate you, dude.

Speaker 3 23:17

His nephew's like you're not wearing chains, like you wish he was have to wear chains. Yeah, he's like you know, uh, you have to do something really bad to get up and end up here and he like points to the boss man. He's like those guys will kill you in a heartbeat or something like that. So and they're like yeah it's like, okay, let's just shoot you now we can do whatever we want.

Speaker 1 23:41

So luke goes back and then they have where they actually paved the road yeah, where they're sitting there tarring the road. And yeah, where they're sitting there tar in the road. And they're all like we got to tar the road and like Luke's shoveling, like you know, say so, like you know, save some energy, like it's a long day, and he's like now we got to fight the man. He's just like come on, it's like we could just keep going and he just starts shoveling harder and harder and like eventually just rallies the Enthusiasm of all of them and all like they're just taking off like all their shirts and they're just all shoveling like maniacs take it off and then they start running and they're catching up to the truck.

Speaker 1 24:11

Yeah, and like the bosses are like you know, the boss coffee like holds up his cane and like the ones you know, squirrely kid like runs to the truck, comes back with the rifle, he pulls the bolt out and blocks it because he doesn't know what they're, if they're plotting something as they catch up finally to the truck. And and then they're all like where'd the road go? Because they get to the stop side and it's just like there's no more road. It's like what do we do now? It looks like nothing.

Speaker 2 24:35

Look, let's be honest, as fast as they did that, you might as well go and start back over, because there's just going to be stuff thrown everywhere.

Speaker 3 24:44

It's going to be like cars, where the whole thing was like rickety because he tried to go fast, or when they were like, yeah, we got two hours to do nothing, the cops would have been like all right, well, next road, let's get started on this one, I guess.

Speaker 1 24:59

This is supposed to be tomorrow's, but I guess we could just start now.

Speaker 2 25:03

We're going that way now. I just figured as fast as they did that it's not done right.

Speaker 1 25:11

But eventually it's because of this they start idolizing him All the guys, and Dragline included and the bosses now see him as a threat to the Order Because he's cool.

Speaker 2 25:22

And Luke.

Speaker 1 25:24

He said it. Well, what they instill in them out of fear and punishment and retribution, and or just outright killing him, is he did it charismatically and got them to excel at something but did they?

Speaker 2 25:39

like I said, the road wouldn't be, that wouldn't be right, they'd have to redo it okay, mitch, so they didn't excel at any?

Speaker 1 25:47

what technical experience do you have in paving roads?

Speaker 3 25:51

I know enough to know that that's not true. All right, mitch didn't like the way that they were doing the road, all right, so Mitch didn't care for that.

Speaker 1 25:57

They didn't excel, let's just say and then we get to the legendary bet.

Speaker 3 26:01

Yeah, the egg scene.

Speaker 1 26:03

Because they're all talking about how much he ate. It's like he's shoveling in stuff and he's just like he's like. And Dreggle's like my boy, he could eat this, he could eat that, and he's just. And Luke's just like, sitting there with the banjo, goes. It's like I could eat 50 eggs. And then George Kennedy like kind of drops the accent for almost a second, he goes nobody can eat 50 eggs. And he's like 50 just seems like a nice round number. But it was like the whole camp got in on it and like the cooks are in on it Like everybody, like they're handing the eggs over like the fence. It's just like there was training involved.

Speaker 3 26:36

Yeah, they're like stretching the stomach out. So like that I don't believe 50 eggs 50 hard-boiled eggs First off. And here's a funny thing too. So when they were shooting that scene, he only ate about eight eggs. They just did some funny squirrely camera tricks and make a lot of different takes every time. And then to celebrate that scene, everybody had eggs, like a lot of eggs, for that meal. And then they had to close down set almost, because everybody was just farting nonstop, you know yeah.

Speaker 1 27:12

Just constant flatulence. Just a bunch of dudes just farting. Any man who gets caught farting spends a night in the box.

Speaker 2 27:19

They said he had to eat 50. Did he eat 50? Or did? They just like keep piling, cause it like it was a cause towards the end, like he's like laying there, they're showing him his mouth and they're working his cheeks to, because I mean, that's probably what um, that like beard versus food guy.

Speaker 1 27:35

Yeah, the british guy with the gigantic beard. He eats all the you know gigantic like challenge meals. He's like the hardest part isn't how much food it is, it's your jaw. He's like your jaw just starts to lock up chewing that much and, depending on what kind of food it is, it's your jaw. He's like your jaw just starts to lock up chewing that much and, depending on what kind of food it is, it's just so much effort and work like big steak challenges. It's like you're just grinding through meat. He's like just trying to keep chewing. He's like that's what makes it harder than it really should be than just how much you can actually eat yeah, what's fun.

Speaker 3 28:04

And another thing too is like after he eats all, all those eggs they leave him there and he's crucifixed out. A couple of scenes later, though, you see him with two eggs, and I'm like he would never eat an egg again. He would die of starvation before eating an egg again.

Speaker 1 28:20

You see, like four foods happen that they get to eat Rice beans, cornbread, eggs.

Speaker 3 28:25

Eat your beans, get them beans. You don't eat your beans. Cornbread eggs yeah, eat your beans, get them, beans Get them beans, get them beans.

Speaker 2 28:31

If you don't eat your beans, you go to the box.

Speaker 1 28:33

Any man who doesn't return a clean plate is better than not in the box or the pooper, depending on what he ate.

Speaker 2 28:41

Then we both.

Speaker 1 28:43

One evening, Luke receives notice that his mom had passed away.

Speaker 3 28:46

Yeah, and he plays the banjo.

Speaker 1 28:48

He goes and they give him his solemn moment. He plays Plastic Jesus on the banjo.

Speaker 3 28:52

So that song? Do you know the behind the scenes on that one?

Speaker 1 28:55

I don't Please tell us.

Speaker 3 28:56

I will tell you. So Paul Newman did not know how to play the banjo and he fought with the director. He said I want to learn to play this song on the banjo. Do it authentic. So they're like all right, we'll reschedule the shoot, do this towards the end. And he was terrible at it. And they're like all right, we'll reschedule it again. You have three weeks to learn this song.

Speaker 3 29:17

And Paul Newman said okay, and when the time came, he played the song and it was terrible again. And so he's like listen, we're just going to pretend that you played it and we're going to get some professional and we're going to go. And then, like, paul Newman was like no, I'm going to do it right. And the director was like no, we got to move on. And Paul Newman started like they started yelling at each other. And finally Paul Newman started yelling over the director roll camera and he just sat down and he started playing the song. And then he got to that really aggressive part where he's like singing it louder and stuff like that Played it flawlessly. And then the director walked up to him and Paul Newman looked defeated and said you think you can get somebody to play that better? And the director puts his hand on his shoulder and says there's nobody that can play that better and they kept it, that's awesome.

Speaker 1 30:07

There you go, aww, aww.

Speaker 3 30:09

Aww, so there you go. Thank you for that, aiden, you're welcome.

Speaker 1 30:13

Someone actually did some behind-the-scenes investigating.

Speaker 2 30:16

Yeah, I don't want to hear it.

Speaker 1 30:18

I've got five years. I'm happy you watched the movie I've got five years of behind-the-scenes looking.

Speaker 2 30:22

You didn't Batman 89. I know you've seen it before. I've seen it a lot.

Speaker 1 30:26

Yeah, I've seen it, I guarantee you twice as many times as you. Okay, but I watched it. Any man who's seen Batman 89 more than me spends a night in the box.

Speaker 3 30:36

Any man who derails his podcast spends a night in the box.

Speaker 1 30:38

Spends a night in the box. We're all going to the box, three guys in a box.

Speaker 3 30:43

There's more than two men in the box, spin the night in the box.

Speaker 1 30:48

Everybody's in the box. Get her them beans. They give them all beans and eggs and then block them in the box.

Speaker 3 30:57

They're always so angry about those beans? Get them beans, I'll get them beans boy, I'm sick, and tired of beans.

Speaker 2 31:04

The next part is where he's trying to break out, isn't it?

Speaker 1 31:08

Well, this is the catalyst to why he'll start to do it. Okay is, when his mom passes away, they go to work and when he comes back, they single him out and the captain's, like you know, they put him in the box until his mom's buried yeah, which is a dumb thing like, because it's like some men just get rabbit in their blood and want to go to the funeral and say their goodbyes.

Speaker 3 31:28

You're like all right, his mom died, so put him in the box. Yeah, Any man whose mom died spends a night in the box.

Speaker 1 31:36

Any man who has a relation dies spends a night in the box. Any man whose dog dies spends a night in the box.

Speaker 3 31:41

They didn't put that one guy in the box.

Speaker 1 31:45

No, they did not put him in the box for that. He was obviously distraught with grief way more than Luke was. Yeah, and they did not lock that man in the box.

Speaker 3 31:51

I have a behind-the-scenes about the Bond movie.

Speaker 1 31:53

He's also in a Bond movie. What he's in Living Daylights, the Bond guy? Yeah, no, he's in License to Kill. He's the one that gets his head blown up in the pressure chamber.

Speaker 3 32:03

Oh, oh nice.

Speaker 1 32:04

By Robert Davi. Okay, little tidbits of information for you. So after his night in the box, he gets out. Well, before he goes in the box, the one warden or the one boss who's like kind of nice-ish, he's just like you know, he's like I'm just doing my job, yeah, and he's like, just because it's your job, don't make it right. Yeah, boss, boss, and he kind of gives them an attitude and they lock him in the box and then they let Luke out.

Speaker 3 32:30

I'll pray for your mother. He's like. I'll pray for your mama. I'll pray for your mama boy.

Speaker 2 32:34

It's a little late, isn't?

Speaker 1 32:35

it and he made a praise for. Another man's mom spends the night in the box during the 4th of July celebration. He plots his escape by sawing through the floorboards kicks him out.

Speaker 2 32:50

That part was funny because they're like singing and dancing. He's like.

Speaker 1 32:55

He's just sitting there.

Speaker 2 32:56

And then when they stop, he's just perfectly.

Speaker 1 33:02

Any man not dancing during the celebration spends the night in the box. And then the Navy guy with the tattoo he slips out too and like they catch him on the fence and like it's like get him. And the guy just runs up and starts hitting him with the cane. He's just like whoosh, whoosh. He's like get down. He's like caught up in barbed wire, he's like get out.

Speaker 3 33:20

He's like.

Speaker 2 33:22

Yeah For the movie. This part and the next time he runs are the best parts.

Speaker 3 33:28

Yeah.

Speaker 1 33:28

Because I like when he's running and he's like jumping on both sides of the fence To try to throw the dogs off. Yeah, he was doing all kinds of stuff. That was funny and, honestly, that would probably work, because it would slow them down to where they'd have to keep going back and forth, yeah, yeah, at which they'd say throw off the dogs, and the dogs are clawing through metal to get to it.

Speaker 3 33:50

Trying to drag the people.

Speaker 1 33:51

Those were hardcore bloodhounds.

Speaker 3 33:52

So I did some research, because that's what started me rabbit-holing behind the scenes and all this when the dog dies and he takes the dog out Because it looks like a dead dog.

Speaker 1 34:03

That dog is.

Speaker 3 34:04

It's like tongue is lolling and stuff and I just spent an hour deep diving trying to find out.

Speaker 2 34:10

They killed that dog for the movie.

Speaker 1 34:11

Did PETA protest this film?

Speaker 3 34:13

Nothing, Crickets. I was like I might have actually been a dead dog. This was before PETA.

Speaker 1 34:18

Yeah.

Speaker 3 34:18

I don't know what happened to that dog.

Speaker 2 34:21

They needed one for the movie.

Speaker 3 34:23

And then later when they shoot the snapping turtle it's the obvious, fakest-looking, snapping turtle on the planet. They got fussed at about the dog. I guess I don't know. That dog was real A poor dog, maybe they just used some ether on it. Go back to sleep, fluffy.

Speaker 1 34:40

Because he's escaping and the car comes up and it's the police car and you see the inmate, but it's the dog handler, inmate, yeah. And they bring him out and like they're like he made it, like everybody's like all excited, luke got out and like he did it. And then they show back up, they're working.

Speaker 2 35:03

The car pulls up and they get out and they're so.

Speaker 1 35:05

They put the leg irons on him and Strother Martin, the captain's talking to him. It's like you'll get used to wearing them chains, but you'll never forget the clinking sound and Lucas goes boss. I wish you, captain. I wish you'd stop being so good to me.

Speaker 2 35:19

And he's like what did you?

Speaker 1 35:21

say to me Don't you never, never, he like blackjacks him down the hill. Now he blackjacks him down the hill and then he looks and all the inmates are just staring at him. He's just like. What we got here is failure to communicate. Some men, you just can't reach.

Speaker 3 35:39

Yeah, he had rabbit, in him.

Speaker 1 35:41

He did Well. The captain put it in him. He didn't have it initially, but he put it in him. He probably would have been fine if they never put him in the box. Any man whose mom dies spends the night in the box. So shortly after Luke escapes the second time where he's like you know, I'm shaking it over here, boss.

Speaker 2 35:57

Shaking it over here, boss.

Speaker 1 36:00

And while he's trying to go to the bathroom they're shooting around him. It's like I'm trying to go boss, but you throw me off a little.

Speaker 3 36:12

Any man who doesn't go urinate fast enough will spend a night in the box and or be shot dead.

Speaker 1 36:14

And then finally it stops shaking and then boss Godfrey, the man with no eyes, just goes and shoots right through the bush and then they run down. It's like he tied off, it's like he's out and they take off running out. And like they take off running like oh, luke did it again and that's where, like they're sitting there, like however long it is later, and uh well, this is the one where, like he runs and he runs into the two kids yeah, and they try to use the axe to cut it like he's the axe to cut the leg shackles and he's like go get all like the paprika, all the paprika, pepper and curry powder you have?

Speaker 3 36:45

yeah, they do it. I I didn't know what he was talking about at first. When he starts sprinkling it on the ground, I'm like, oh, he's like you want to see something funny.

Speaker 1 36:54

He's like I'm going to come back here eventually. I want you kids to tell me what you saw and how funny it was.

Speaker 3 37:00

Those dogs. They spilled that too. The dogs are like snotting everywhere.

Speaker 2 37:06

Sling their heads Already got the big flappy jaws snotting slime everywhere.

Speaker 1 37:12

I was like, would that work?

Speaker 2 37:14

I guess bloodhounds are even more sensitive than normal. They just suck that stuff right up there all that pepper, paprika, curry powder, coriander.

Speaker 1 37:26

So basically, if you're chasing a chef, you're not going to get him. But he makes it out. And that's where we say the boss car is walking or car the floor walker is walking. He's passing out the mail. He's like, dragan, you got a magazine. He's like, yeah, from Atlanta. He's like, oh, it's my deadbeat uncle. He hasn't said nothing. Now all of a sudden he's sending me magazines and he flips through them like and it's Luke, and he's in the magazine with like two hot girls.

Speaker 3 37:52

And he's just like ah, and he signed it and sent it to him.

Speaker 1 37:56

And that's a G move.

Speaker 3 37:57

That is a G move. Cost him a week's pay, but my whole thing is like where did they catch him?

Speaker 1 38:06

Well, the first time they caught him, he tells them when they're sitting there. It's like so what happened? He made it to some town, found a car that had keys and he's still in the car gets in the car and he's like I get to a red light Cop car pulls up right next to me and he's looking at me like what's a guy dressed like that in a state county uniform doing in a car like that? And that's about it. He goes. Just damn fine police work. That's what he chalked it up to yeah.

Speaker 3 38:39

Yeah.

Tragic Ending & Religious Symbolism

Speaker 1 38:39

But they bring them back, like with the crap beaten out of them the second time, and then they fit them with a second set of chains and then they're like if you, if you do it again, we're going to kill you Like one's on the house almost.

Speaker 2 38:52

That's when they beat him and stuff the house almost Well, that's when they beat him and stuff, didn't it? That's when they start, basically torturing him, trying to break him. Don't they make him dig a hole? They?

Speaker 3 38:58

make him dig a grave and different bosses will walk up that dirt's on the captain's lawn or something it's like what's Boss King's dirt doing on Boss?

Speaker 1 39:11

whatever's grass he's like, I don't know he goes what's boss, so-and-so's dirt doing in so-and-so's hole and he keeps doing it and then like they hit him and basically he breaks down, yeah. And all the inmates kind of like, lose respect for him, like the one guy runs and like rips up the photo.

Speaker 3 39:29

Yeah.

Speaker 1 39:32

And he's like yelling at him because he's like we saw you in the maze. He's like I faked it, it's all fake, which I mean. That's a pretty wild thing to fake I didn't realize they had photoshop back then set in the early 1950s. So Luke kind of becomes like a errandish boy almost to the bosses, where boss Godfrey shoots the turtle, the giant snapping turtle, and then Luke like sticks the stick in and it bites it almost to the bosses, where boss Godfrey shoots the turtle, the giant snapping turtle, and then Luke like sticks the stick in and it bites it.

Speaker 3 39:58

Yeah, even though he ain't got no life in him, but he still got some bite balls.

Speaker 1 40:03

And he's like that's a great shot. And then he's just like all right, you know, go get. And he goes in the truck and he starts it up and takes off and drag line runs and catches up to him and the bosses are all shooting at him but he lifts up the, the dump truck, part of it, yeah, to block the back window, yeah, so they're just blasting it, not, you know, hitting steel, and it's not going to go through it. And then the boss is running.

Speaker 3 40:22

So he took the keys because they said to get water. Yeah, it's keys out of the water truck and they said get the rifle, so it gets keys out of the rifle truck yeah and you know, then he, like it's going to go cook the turtle in the third truck, or whatever During that day.

Speaker 1 40:36

he just took the keys out of every vehicle and it's just like you guys didn't keep the keys in your pockets or something.

Speaker 3 40:42

Dumb or spares.

Speaker 1 40:46

So they take off and they stash the truck Luke cuts through his two, he jumps in with him.

Speaker 2 40:52

Yeah, dragline jumps in with him.

Speaker 1 40:55

And they're talking about plans and know plans and Luke's, you know I'm going my own way.

Speaker 2 40:58

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 3 40:59

Because he sees the church and he doesn't even say goodbye, just like walks off.

Speaker 2 41:02

He just kind of disappears.

Speaker 3 41:04

Dragline's like oh okay, guess I'm gonna be on my own now Okay. That's where odd about how he's basically just been dealt crap hands his whole life and he's mad Poo hand Luke.

Speaker 2 41:22

Then Dragline shows up basically because he snitched him out.

Speaker 1 41:26

I mean they probably would have found out. Anyway, it's a building, I would have checked it.

Speaker 2 41:30

I told him, you'd come on in.

Speaker 1 41:34

No stuff, whatever he talking, trying to talk luke and doing it into giving himself up willingly. Luke walks to the window, looks out, opens it and says, well, we got his failure to communicate. And then boss godfrey shoots him right through the neck.

Speaker 1 41:48

Yeah, yeah, and even like the other bosses like, look at him like the other cops were like whoa yeah well, the other cops look at it, but like the other bosses who were around the vehicle, like they all snap and look at him like dude what the yeah, the captain's like go get him and then um dragline brings. Luke out who's still like walking and like ambulatory still yeah and like they, the guards take them and then dragline runs and starts choking out godfrey, yeah, and like you, know like strangling the life out of him. They're having to like beat the crap out of him.

Speaker 3 42:19

His glasses fall off too, yeah, which is important.

Speaker 1 42:22

Yeah, the glasses fall off. Yeah, and he like stumbles and slides off. And then they put Luke in this. It's like, all right, it's like we're going to the inmate state hospital. He's not going to make it. It's an hour away, he's like he's not going to make it. It's like he's ours. Get out of the way and then they take off. But Luke gives a smile and they go and then you see the lights change. I'm guessing you picked up on that too.

Speaker 3 42:47

What.

Speaker 1 42:57

With the traffic lights. So you know they change from like green to red or red to green or whatever, and you know that's all they see. And then they, as they leave, they run over the mirrored sunglasses and then it cuts to drag line. He's with the other prisoners and he's telling about like luke's last moments, because they're like right by it, the church, because you stay, show the church, and there's like a you know paper covering the shot that went through the glass and he's just telling about about Luke. And then you know it gets a little montage and then the music starts playing and then it cuts to Dragline, the other prisoners of Dragline. It's got chains on and he's just sitting there working, taking it off you balls, yeah. And then the movie ends and nothing changed.

Speaker 3 43:28

All right, so let's talk about the metaphor in this movie. The man with no eyes is obviously one of the more prominent figures in metaphor. Why do you think they never showed his eyes?

Speaker 2 43:41

He's soulless Kind of like in. Oh Brother, where Art Thou with the guy that's chasing them?

Speaker 3 43:47

I don't think it's that supernatural.

Speaker 1 43:50

Well, no, not literally supernatural, but just to symbolize he has the mirrored sunglasses on, because when you look at him, you have to look at yourself.

Speaker 3 43:58

I think that it's got some more of like, some like religious connotation to it.

Speaker 1 44:05

There's a lot of religious connotations to this and imagery stuff, because even when you're first introduced to Luke, when he's cutting the heads off parking meters, the first thing that pops up is the parking meter. It says violation.

Speaker 3 44:15

Right.

Speaker 1 44:15

As he starts cutting them off.

Speaker 3 44:17

Violation yeah, a lot of people aching him to Mephistopheles, which is a Greek god. He's the demon in Faust who brokers a deal and gets Faust to sell his soul to the devil. So I don't know if that was a direct connotation from the writer, but yeah, there was some sort of devil-esque connotation to it. And the fact that he never talked and he never see his eyes, even when his glasses are knocked off. You're led to believe something like that. Some dark ulterior thing is going on with that there's a lot of Christian imagery in this film.

Speaker 3 45:04

If you read the Wikipedia page, it's like the film contains several elements based on Christian themes, including the concept of that Luke is a saint who wins over the crowds but is ultimately sacrificed, and he's portrayed as a Jesusesus-like redeemer figure right and even after, like the egg-eating thing he lays like he's been crucifixed yeah, yeah, uh, yeah, because people, a lot of saints, were basically crucified by their own culture and and, yeah, you could say that, like he did, inspire and motivate people to get through hard times by sacrificing himself and doing so.

Speaker 1 45:38

So uh, him singing plastic jesus. And then, um luke, like jesus, not physically threatening to society because of his actions, but like the crucifixion. His punishment was out of all proportion, like even his sentence, like like he's got the heads off parking meters. He gets two years, two years.

Speaker 3 45:58

Yeah, destruction of federal and yeah, and when he attempts to escape, he had like months left and they throw on like five more years and the chains you know. So it was either you could say that at that point in his life, with the death of his mother, the you know the cruel and unfair punishment that like he got for nothing just because his mom died that it was either like he was going to break and become a different person or choose to like rebel against the system and maintain his sense of identity and attempt to escape. And he shows that. And so he could maintain his sense of identity and attempt to escape, and he chose that so he could have his sense of identity. But tack on the extra years of prison and then eventually he couldn't exist in that system, just like he couldn't exist in the military. Some people just don't. What are they? World shakers?

Speaker 1 46:53

Natural-born world shakers. Another bit of imagery is when Luke hands the snake and then the stick to boss Godfrey after he shoots it, which is mirroring Moses giving a stick and then a snake to the Pharaoh.

Speaker 3 47:06

Oh, okay.

Speaker 1 47:08

When Luke challenges God during the rainstorm, when they're out working and he's yelling at him just to do anything, lieutenant Dan, lieutenant Dan's. And then at the end, where he's speaking to God, which resembles the conversation between God and Jesus at the Garden of.

Speaker 2 47:23

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1 47:24

Thank you.

Speaker 2 47:26

That was the one I was not going to be able to pronounce, depicting the Gospel of Luke.

Speaker 1 47:32

So there's a lot of imagery stuff and the closing shot shows the inmates working on crossroads such as the intersection, the shape of a cross superimposed to the repaired photo Luke sent. It was also the creases form a cross.

Speaker 3 47:46

Yeah, that's a good point yeah.

Speaker 1 47:52

They also talk about the traffic lights and the stop signs, where it's like. Different traffic signs are used throughout the film complimenting the characters actions at the beginning, while Luke cuts the heads off the parking meters, the word violation appears. Stop signs are also seen. Instances include the road paving scene. In the last scene, where the road meets at a cross section, traffic lights turned from green to red in the background. At the time when Luke is arrested at the end of the film, when he's finally where he's fatally wounded, a green light in the background turns red, cause he's free. And then the great line, failure to communicate, which was used in a Guns N' Roses song yeah, yeah, I'm sure that you could like delve in deeper and pick apart all kinds of scenes religious connotation and stuff.

Speaker 3 48:39

Um, but yeah, it's a good movie. I enjoyed it a lot and I I do like movies that you could watch. You could definitely watch it again and see more uh things and kind of pick apart more of it, yeah I think I saw this movie.

Speaker 1 48:54

I was like 13 and I was homesick and it was on AMC when I still had cable, and it was like Cool Hand Luke. And I was like, oh, paul Newman movie. And it was like right at the beginning where he's like cutting the heads off and I just watched and at the end I was like laying there I was sick and I was like that was a good man, I need to watch that one again I end up getting it on DVD.

Speaker 1 49:15

I always love this movie. It's a good movie and Paul Newman has the bluest, freaking eyes.

Speaker 2 49:20

Unnaturally? Yeah, I noticed that. I was like if it wasn't the 60s I'd be going. Is he wearing contacts?

Speaker 3 49:27

No, yeah, it's like nope, they were just that color Name.

Speaker 2 49:34

one movie that Paul Newman's in besides this one, Mitch Didn't even know who Paul Newman was until I saw this one. He's in Cars.

Speaker 1 49:37

How do you not know who Paul Newman is?

Speaker 3 49:42

He's in Cars, obviously the Hustler.

Speaker 2 49:45

Oh yeah, I recognized him from Cars Sting.

Speaker 1 49:49

Towering Inferno.

Speaker 3 49:51

Great movies.

Speaker 1 49:51

Color of Money Road to Perdition.

Final Ratings & Conclusion

Speaker 3 49:54

Oh, that's right, he was the old mob guy. Great movie, alright. Well, there you go. We could rate it, but Mitch is going to throw off.

Speaker 2 50:03

What would you rate it?

Speaker 1 50:04

It's a 9 out of 10 film to me.

Speaker 2 50:06

Okay, why.

Speaker 1 50:11

This movie has so much substance to it. It's a great cast that executes everything perfectly.

Speaker 3 50:21

Well, I was going to say 10 out of 10. Because I've seen it for the first time In 2025, as a 35-year-old, 37-year-old guy, and you know, I have all of my Hollywood upbringing and have all of this predispositioned idea of what a movie should be. This movie from the 60s I still found very entertaining and enjoyed and thought-provoking, like where you think about it long after the movie's over. You know so it transcends time. It's like, you know, a cornerstone of time. It's like you know, cornerstone of cinema. So, yup, 10 out of 10.

Speaker 2 51:01

I give it a 7. I'll be fair, like to me, because I did not like the movie at all, but it's because it's not my thing to watch. Now, that being said, there were funny parts. You know there's a good narrative that goes through it, where you know, like you said, he's, he's the uh symbolism, where you know he, he's like a saint and stuff like that. And I mean, granted, it feels a little uh, out of place that he's going to jail for two years for cutting the head of a parking meter. I mean it's not bad, it's well shot, it's, you know, good scenes, stuff like that. Like I said, it's just not my thing, but I'm not going to grade it bad just because I didn't like it.

Speaker 1 51:43

Yeah, the movie doesn't drag.

Speaker 3 51:47

No, honestly, when it ended I was like really they're not going to show what happens to some of these characters. You know, I never got to see the man with no eyes, without his glasses, like see what he really is. Well, the other boss takes his place as the walking boss who walks the road. What happened to the man with no eyes Gone?

Speaker 2 52:09

Now, like when I watched until the part where he ran away the beginning of the movie I was just like, oh my God, how much more. And then when he ran away, the beginning of the movie, I was just like, oh my God, how much more. And then when he ran away, that's when. To me, that's when it got funny and I enjoyed more of it. Those scenes were better.

Speaker 1 52:22

He escaped the thrill.

Speaker 2 52:23

Yeah, I just thought those were better. You know him running trying to lose the dogs and all that stuff.

Speaker 1 52:30

I thought that jumping in the water because he goes upstream to try to throw him off. He does all this stuff, but the dogs are just right on him.

Speaker 3 52:36

The only thing that I have questions about is like why did he just stop? Why didn't he just like run to Mexico or something like?

Speaker 1 52:44

that. Well, it's Florida. You have to run to Alabama. Okay, Just keep going.

Speaker 3 52:50

Mississippi, he's gone for weeks, wasn't he? He's like probably wasn't he, he's probably stopped at Tampa or something.

Speaker 1 52:55

I think the photo he sent him was in Atlanta.

Speaker 3 52:57

Yeah, well then keep going. Made it out of Florida.

Speaker 1 53:00

I don't think they address how he got caught. The second time.

Speaker 2 53:03

That's what I was asking. They didn't really say Did you bring him back and beat up who went and got him.

Speaker 1 53:08

I watched this movie last night. I don't remember them bringing it up. Good, good movie, alright, anything else, pretty much it alright well bye, alright well, thank you for listening to this episode of Entertain this, I'm Tom Hayden.

Speaker 2 53:24

I'm.

Speaker 1 53:24

Mitch, and we'll catch you on the next one goodbye bye, press it, yeah, every time, just have to do it.

Speaker 3 53:50

Strides of a classic.