Review: Cool Hand Luke

       Paul Newman started out as many actors start out in Hollywood. He was a handsome face, and he could shout “Follow me, boys!” as he went over the top in war movies. It's the kind of role that, if one can do well, can become the whole of one's career, take John Wayne for example. Then as he gained critical acclaim for his work he could have taken the Charlton Heston route, getting nobler and nobler with each role that he could eventually drive chariots, part the red sea, and take dictation from God. Instead, Newman took the opposite approach to his career. He played the role of just the regular guy that we would feel comfortable having a beer with. Often times Newman's characters had a bit of a dark side, and as such he was a pioneer of the anti-hero character. Newman had a tendency to play scam artists, in films like The Hustler, The Sting, and Cool Hand Luke.