Academy Award winner Paul Newman stars with George Kennedy in this story of a man who will not surrender to authority–even at the cost of his life. When Luke Jackson (Newman) is sentenced to a Southern prison for a minor infraction, his intelligence, calm under pressure and inability to accept defeat soon gain him the respect of his fellow inmates on the chain gang–and the nickname Cool Hand Luke. But they also earn Luke the enmity of the warden, who cannot allow any inmate to challenge his authority. When Luke’s mother dies, he decides to escape … and he will not allow anyone to stop him.

For thoughts on Cool Hand Luke, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/tm8jJkHA-k0?t=1790]

Video Quality

Cool Hand Luke makes its eagerly anticipated 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with a rock solid 2160p HDR10 transfer which stands as the most impressive home entertainment presentation to date. The provenance of the master utilized is unclear, but it lives up to the standard of quality Warner Bros. has established with their historic catalog. The previous Blu-Ray release also included in this package is nearly 15 years old and shows its age, especially with its dated VC-1 codec. The new 4K UHD disc offers much-appreciated improvements over that previous Blu-Ray in areas such as color saturation, clarity and image stability.

The UHD disc appears to retain the authentic Technicolor timing with very moderate colors throughout that deftly translates Conrad L. Hall’s intentionally drab and grimy cinematography. The HDR does not artificially push the colors to unnatural points, instead allowing the hues to hold back their beauty under these unrelenting conditions. Skin tones look natural with a touch less pink than before, and the clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail such as perspiration under the blazing sun. Highlights are a bit more brilliant and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are a big improvement with no signs of crush which allows the picture to maintain an excellent amount of depth and detail in darker environments.

The movie retains the natural film grain which can sometimes appear a bit light considering it resolves so tight and specific. Once again, this is one of the better upgrades from the Blu-Ray, which was saddled with more moments where grain would get a bit blocky rather than detailed. There are a few fleeting compression artifacts here, but nothing that distracts from the viewing experience. The fine grain allows this movie to present more immediate texture and detail within the environments. The grit of the landscape appears more pronounced and tactile here. This transfer is a terrific representation of the film which longtime fans have been awaiting. You should upgrade with confidence.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with the original theatrical split-mono DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track which translates this material admirably. Purists should be more than satisfied with the upgrade from the previous lossy Dolby Digital track from the previous Blu-Ray. There is nothing in the way of creative revisionism, just simply a well-done, natural track. The score from Lalo Schifrin sounds thematically effective with excellent fidelity on a technical level. Environmental sounds such as the murmuring of the inmates and dogs barking delineate well. The track is mostly free of damage, and it juggles all of the competing sounds quite confidently so that dialogue does not get overshadowed. Warner Bros. has delivered the most stable track possible for this one.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Paul Newman biographer Eric Lax provides an informative commentary track which seldom features extended pauses as he discusses the origins of the source material, the characters and performances in the film, how this fits into the career of Paul Newman, the background of those involved in the production, the shooting locations, the film’s reception and awards run, the legacy of the feature and more.

A Natural-Born World-Shaker – Making Cool Hand Luke: A 29-minute vintage featurette in which the cast, creative team and film historians discuss the production and legacy of the film with many personal anecdotes revealed which often provide different takes on some of the history of the film. While participation from Paul Newman would have been a real treat, what we are given is really worthwhile as is.

Theatrical Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Cool Hand Luke is an undeniable classic, and it stands as one of the highlights from the impressive career of Paul Newman. The themes on display are enhanced tenfold by the unrelenting performance from Newman, who immediately gets you invested in the plight of this character with the honesty he brings to every decision. This is more than a simple prison film; this is a complex character study of a man who is not meant to conform to the rules. The ensemble complementing him allows this world to breathe a bit more and feel lived-in in an impactful way. This movie takes you through a wide-range of emotions, and you love every minute of it. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray sporting a great A/V presentation and a couple of decent special features. If you are a fan of this iconic drama, this should be considered a necessary upgrade. Highly Recommended

Cool Hand Luke is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.