Hud (1963)

Do you remember that pissed off feeling you had when you had to work for your stern father on a hardscrabble Texas ranch and perhaps your precious cattle had foot and mouth disease? Hud sure does. And Hud didn't like it one damn bit.

It's Hud! Not to be mistaken with Shane!
Yet HUD (1963), starring Paul Newman as Hud, is one damn fine movie. Not only does it capture the loneliness of a Texas cattle ranch family and the father and son tensions that result when old school morality faces off against a new kind of rebellious dickheadedness (which also seems strangely applicable to the gold star generation of today), we are treated to a wonderful (Academy award winning) performance by Patricia Neal as Alma, the foxy ranch cook who brooks no crap from anybody.

Yowza!
There's also a great character arc in store for Hud's young nephew Lonnie, who looks into the heart of moral darkness and must decide for himself which Texas-sized path he must take!

Choose wisely, young Lonnie!
HUD also features a number of fantastic lines. I'd felt like I'd heard many of them before, though I couldn't recall when or where, a pretty solid sign of great writing:

Homer Bannon: You're an unprincipled man Hud.
Hud Bannon: Don't let that worry you none. You got enough for both of us.

Homer Bannon: It don't take long to kill things, not like it takes to grow.

Pastor: I know what you're feeling, my boy. Look at it this way, he's gone to a better place.
Lonnie Bannon: I don't think so... not unless dirt is a better place than air.

Homer Bannon: You don't care about people Hud. You don't give a damn about 'em. Oh, you got all that charm goin' for ya. And it makes the youngsters want to be like ya. That's the shame of it because you don't value anything. You don't respect nothing. You keep no check on your appetites at all. You live just for yourself. And that makes you not fit to live with.

Hud Bannon: Happens to everybody. Nobody gets out of life alive.

Oh, Hud!