← Apex Mountain

Cool Hand Luke

1967 · directed by Stuart Rosenberg · 127 min
26,773 feet · Prominence
124th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredThe 124th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw59

Lifetime worldwide gross $16m, re-releases included; about $160m in 2026 money.

Rank2,055 of 11,051In 196714 of 38

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise97

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics96 baseAwards65 signal → +1 lift

Oscars1 won Supporting Actor3 nominated Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
Golden Globes2 nominated Lead acting, Supporting acting
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy78

Judged directly: Failure to communicate, permanently quoted Registry classic.

Verdict78 of 100IMDb8 from 197kWikipedia35k views a monthAge59 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 150 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 59 praise 97 legacy 78averages 78, placing it at26,773 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

Whose apex this is

▲ George Kennedy▲ Morgan Woodward

In these careers — elevation for this film

Paul Newman20,486 ftGeorge Kennedy20,466 ftHarry Dean Stanton18,101 ftMorgan Woodward18,061 ftDennis Hopper18,014 ftLuke Askew17,931 ftJoe Don Baker17,653 ftStrother Martin17,643 ftClifton James17,640 ftJames Gammon17,636 ft