"Cool Hand Luke" was in a trend line of post-World War II anti-hero movies going back back to "The Wild One" with Marlon Brando (1953). It was the 5th in a series of films where Paul Newman dared to play the role of the anti-hero ("The Hustler", "Hud","Harper", and "Hombre"). Not my favorites, but the most psychologically insightful for me are 2 interrelated moments: 1]The scene Luke breaks down after being punished yet again, and begs the Boss for mercy. The reaction of his fellow prisoners as the object of their heroic idolatry is brought to his hands and knees, broken, smashed before their very eyes. The man through whom they were living the courage and stubbornness they lacked is as human as they are. 2] But after Luke the man dies, Luke the myth is born. Through the reminisces of Dragline and other prisoners -- their "gospel"-- the suffering of the anti-hero is transfigured into the martyrdom of the kind of hero they want to believe in, desperately need to believe in.

When Luke escapes for the last time, Dragline assumes that he was only pretending to break in the earlier scene, above. But Luke says, "When did I ever plan anything?" His last escape was automatic, driven by his deep need to defeat the system, no matter what.