 Variety described Newman 's performance as " excellent , " noting the supporting cast as " versatile and competent . " The New York Times praised the film , remarking that Pearce and Pierson 's " sharp script , " Rosenberg 's " ruthlessly realistic and plausible " staging and direction and Newman 's " splendid " performance with an " <unk> " cast , " elevates " it among other prison films . On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an overall 100 % " Certified Fresh " approval rating based on 45 reviews , with an average of 8 @.@ 8 out of 10 . The site 's consensus is that " Though hampered by Stuart Rosenberg 's direction , Cool Hand Luke is held aloft by a stellar script and one of Paul Newman 's most indelible performances . " Empire rated it five stars out of five , declaring the movie one of Newman 's best performances . Slant rated the film three stars out of four . It described Newman 's role as " iconic , " also praising its cinematography and sound score . Allmovie praised Newman 's performance as " one of the most indelible anti @-@ authoritarian heroes in movie history . " 
