Cool Hand Luke

by John Bush Lalo Schifrin's soundtrack to the 1967 chain-gang drama starring Paul Newman concentrates on the sounds and instruments of rural America, from the use of banjos and harmonica in the main title and the standout "Tar Sequence" to the shuffled-feet rhythm on his soul-jazz arrangement of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee." Throughout, Cool Hand Luke echoes the claustrophobic prison atmosphere, with Schifrin moving from playfulness to violence, to tenderness with little warning. Indie-rock fans will probably recognize the skeletal banjo tune "Plastic Jesus" from the Flaming Lips' version, recorded for 1993's Transmissions From the Satellite Heart.