The Hand (1981)

"What we have here ,is a failure to communicate."
Cool Hand Luke DVD



Paul Newman plays Luke. A perennial loser who seems to have no purpose in Life since winning several medals in World War II. In the beginning of the movie Luke wanders aimlessly down a street cutting the "heads" off of parking meters and keeping some of the "heads" for the few coins in them.


Why he was cutting the heads off parking meters]
Luke: Small town, not much to do in the evenin'.


(This very same thing happened in Atlanta, Georgia last summer and nobody would tell the police who was doing it. Obviously someone had watched the movie.)

George Kennedy won Best-Supporting Actor Oscar as "Dragline", bull of the herd of prisoners. Dragline leads the group, running gambling and the small barracks "bank", and all the other prisoners follow his example and look to him as the source of what little self-respect they have.

My favorite line in this movie is when Luke has tried to escape and has been beaten senseless the warden stands over his bruised body and says

"What we have here, is a failure to communicate."

Highly recommended for fans of Paul Newman and George Kennedy.

Gunner March, 2008

Shameful
As a devout Christian, I was deeply disturbed and offended by the images of homosexuality depicted in this film. Naked men in showers, men in underwear dancing and embracing, sweaty half-naked men shoveling and digging - I had to turn away from the TV multiple times before being drawn back like a magnet to these lusty, repulsive scenes. And then, to make matters worse, the frightful scene with the young lady washing her car in an overtly sexualized and erotic manner. I felt as if I needed to be washed after watching that sickening scene! I had to watch it several times with my wife out of the room to fully understand its sleazy intent. This movie should be banned for its blatant acceptance of sinful lifestyles and celebration of sexual deviancy.

Shameful
As a devout Christian, I was deeply disturbed and offended by the images of homosexuality depicted in this film. Naked men in showers, men in underwear dancing and embracing, sweaty half-naked men shoveling and digging - I had to turn away from the TV multiple times before being drawn back like a magnet to these lusty, repulsive scenes. And then, to make matters worse, the frightful scene with the young lady washing her car in an overtly sexualized and erotic manner. I felt as if I needed to be washed after watching that sickening scene! I had to watch it several times with my wife out of the room to fully understand its sleazy intent. This movie should be banned for its blatant acceptance of sinful lifestyles and celebration of sexual deviancy.