20 Prison Movies You Must See Before You Die

5. Cool Hand Luke (1976)

Perhaps best known nowadays for its iconic egg-eating scene and the line "What we've got here is a failure to communicate," Cool Hand Luke is also a beautifully shot and mesmerising prison drama, starring Paul Newman (never cooler than here, which explains the name of the film) as the titular character as he goes up against the establishment. Cool Hand Luke is packed out with symbolism (some of the Christian stuff is a little heavy-handed, but it's a forgivable offence), whilst the film itself replicates the effect of the Vietnam war on US soldiers in the way it depicts Luke's physical and mental torture. If that all sounds a little heavy, don't be fooled: Cool Hand Luke is still an uproariously entertaining film, packed with the kind of charisma that only Newman could deliver. What makes it a classic is the way that it juggles deeper meanings with a film that is endlessly watchable. Oh, and Conrad Hall's gorgeous cinematography, of course.