Since this film is quite old, its impact is somewhat less shocking. Paul Newman plays a smoking, drinking bad guy who makes an impression as a womanizing cad. The real star of the movie is Brandon De Wilde as his nephew Lonnie. Brandon was an excellent actor who unfortunately died very early in his career. The movie is a must see just for Brandon.

One of the best more modern Western. Gritty, dirty and harsh. Hud is a bad man and there's no polishing him into anything nicer. Ends poetically and the drama in between seems to always teeter on the brink of personal self destruction before boiling over at one uneasy point. Watched on DVD.

One of the greatest American movies.

Martin Ritt has a spotty record as a director. He never is able to start a picture well, dwelling on long shots of empty roads, rivers, or landscape. In the case, however, this approach works as the film explores a character without no redeeming graces. Hud violates every principle of common behavior, lying, cheating, stealing, raping and draft dodging (the final straw to Lonnie's break with him). Paul Newman's performance is perfect, making this odious person attractive. He drives off everyone. James Wong Howe's cinematography is not only excellent, it is glorious, winning him an well-deserved Oscar. I would go so far as to say that this is Ritt's only great film.

a disturbing story that feels like a lead up to cool hand luke

The movie takes about an hour to really get into motion and once it does its just great.

An incredibly effective coming-of-age story that, contrary to the title, focuses not on Hud but on his nephew. The moral dilemma of choosing to be like his honorable, scrupulous, hardworking grandfather or choosing to be like his opportunistic, hedonistic, self-serving uncle is the bedrock of Lonnie's story. You feel the alluring pull of Hud's lifestyle, bolstered by the hallmark charisma of Paul Newman. A highlight of this film is the question of how to deal with cattle potentially affected with mad cow disease. It culminates in a heartwrenching sequence that truly allows the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography to shine. It's also critical to highlight Patricia Neal, who plays the housekeeper Alma. She is absolutely magnetic in this role. Every movement, every word, and every look is infectiously natural. The life she imbues the story and the tragedy of her character are real stand-outs in a film already chock-full of amazing elements. She's the temptation to give this a full five.

Possible Spoilers Hud is a good film. Not only does Paul Newman give a good performance, but so does the supporting cast. Either you will get into the story or you won't. I thought this was much better than similar films like The Last Picture Show. The only things I didn't like was the lack of a good soundtrack and the unrealistic way the characters reacted to the old man dying (and the convenient and somewhat cheesy way it happened). Outside of that, good film!!!

Seeing the varying interpretations of Hud as a character really is interesting; some consider him a modern interpretation of the loner cowboy individualist whose blunt forthrightness makes him an admirable individualist, while to others he's just an asshole. While Hud may be viewed as just another take on the rebellious loner archetype (but in a neo-Western setting), the film is more complex than that. A surprisingly dark take on life's changes and mortality, Hud reconsiders the independent-minded lead in the context of a greater community and a full lifetime rather than in a traditional episodic Western context. Newman's Hud is outwardly charming but self-serving, abrasive, unrepentant, and willing to put others at risk for his own benefit. These traits lead him to be ostracized by those who know him and make him anything but sympathetic, even if there is some understanding in how the cold lifestyle that his family lives could have made him this way. Beautifully shot by Howe and well-acted, Hud is still solid viewing if intermittently somewhat confused as to its objective meaning. (4/5)

Of its time, well photographed and giving a glimpse of the hard life in the Texan panhandle. HUD would've seemed a reprobate to my parents generation . My father b 1922 mother b 1926. But sixties generation (me) were accepting a more selfish, self determined and hedonistic way of life compared to my father and mother, and HUD was an antihero popular like James Dean and Elvis. So the film probably has a different feeling depending on what your moral values are. But it's good, superbly acted, not much of a plot though.

A story as old as Cain and Abel, brought to life by Newman and an aging Melvin Douglas, Homer, a God-fearing, decent, salt-of-the-earth type, has literally "raised Cain" in the form of his younger son, Hud, a moniker that one presumes is short for "Hudson." He's poured his entire life into building a ranch and livestock on the unforgiving Texas prairie. He's seen hard times waging a battle against the vagaries of nature, but nothing has ever taken so much of a toll on him as has the loss of his elder son, and his grandson by that son is constant reminder of his loss. It's made worse by the apparent lack of remorse of the man responsible, none other than Hud, who, in Homer's words has "no check on his appetites" for women, booze, or violence. Homer is committed to a way of life that's dying, as oil rigs spring up on ranch land all around him. Hud wants no part of that life, but stays on merely out of a sense of obligation. The moral conflict between the two men, and the grandson's need to decide which is the proper role model, makes up the central theme of the film. Yes, the ending is morally ambiguous, but so are the life experiences of most of us.

Watched this last night. It really was brilliant with messaging on the the value of moral fibre. Although dated 1963?, it was powerful and heart warming. Sad at times, even made me cry (very unusual)

This Hud character seems like he's got a lot of backed up problems in his life that he keeps bottled up. He seems to be pretty reckless and does whatever he wants; having affairs with all the different women in town. It's only a matter of time until everything blows up in his face. God damn, I wish I had the build of Paul Newman. That Alma is one little tease of a firecracker. Hud's dad definitely has a lot of truth in what he told Hud. He doesn't care about anything, doesn't care about anyone but himself. Wow, that scene where Hud tries to have his drunken way with Alma was filmed very realistically. It was really uncomfortable watching that but damn the acting was on another level during that scene. Pretty damn dark how they had to coral all the cows in the pit and shoot them all. I can't help but be reminded of the Holocaust. I can't help but feel like the killing of the cows is kind of like a metaphor for the dying of tradition, grandfather's tradition. And with that, the death in a way of the old man. Hud's the kind of person you wish you could be but end up being more satisfied and happy when you don't become a person like him. This movie ended up being a pretty realistic drama with some touches of good humor. But in the end, it ended up being a pretty raw and almost sobering look at life and family. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a few things from it. I'd watch it again.

Hud, based on Larry McMurtry's novel Horseman, Pass By, is the simple story of three generations of Bannon men (Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Brandon de Wilde) struggling to operate a cattle ranch in west Texas. The film focuses on their struggle to manage simmering family hostilities and conflicting values. The movie is more concerned with its characters than with plot and is aided by tour-de-force performances from the entire cast, including Patricia Neal's Oscar-winning performance as Alma, the housekeeper who manages to keep the men at arm's length. The stark black and white cinematography allows the viewer to seemingly taste the Texas dust and feel the heat of the sun on the back of the neck.

Hud is the type of movie that I would typically dislike, because the titular character is a jerk who seems to thrive on making the lives of others miserable. There’s an unrepentant quality to Hud that I would have struggled with if it weren’t for the fact that he is surrounded by people who serve as a stark contrast to his laissez-faire attitude. I was enthralled by the growing conflict between father and son, and always wanted more information. I think what was most fascinating about their relationship was that I sensed some underlying respect and affection that neither one could admit. In the hands of a lesser actor, I’m sure Hud’s animosity for his father would be unpleasant and 100% contentious, but Paul Newman is able to add subtext that makes you wonder if they could reconcile. The entire cast is superb in Hud. Melvyn Douglas has just as much nuance in his portrayal of Homer, so you also see more from him than just a self-righteous frustration with his son. Patricia Neal was a delight, as well, playing the tough-as-nails housekeeper. However, Brandon De Wilde played the most fascinating character in Hud, young Lonnie. We go on this exploratory journey with him to discover who is in the right between his uncle and grandfather, and who he will grow up to emulate. You can see his respect and a close bond with both, and we are left to wonder which way his future will lead him. The ending of that story was powerful, even if I felt like we were still left hanging on the fate of Hud. I did struggle a little with some of the things depicted in Hud, because the main character is so unpleasant, and his actions get quite detestable. It also didn’t offer the kind of resolution to the drama that I would have liked. However, despite the little things that bothered me, I was completely drawn into Hud in a way that only the best Westerns have achieved. The visuals captivated me to the point where I was actually looking for symbolism and metaphor in the staging and shot selection, and I’m normally oblivious to those details. That tells me there is something special going on in Hud.

The performances along with a different take on western life make it work.

Probably my favorite portrayal by Paul Newman. Touching and thought provoking character study. This film is a sleeper, I happened to catch it on latenight television one evening and probably would never have seen it otherwise. If you enjoy serious dramas with deeper messages about family and human relationships, you're sure to dig this film. As beautiful for the visual depiction of rural life in the early 1960s as it is for its depiction of the dynamics between its flawed and multi-faceted characters.

Paul Newman has never been my favorite actor as I am not impressed by his work in The Sting (1973), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990) but he does a decent job here as the amoral Hud Bannon. The film as a whole has that lovely slice of life feel as it is based on a Larry McMurtry novel and his work served as the basis for The Last Picture Show (1971) and Terms of Endearment (1983). It's a really wonderful film and it has aged much better than a lot of the films produced in the early 1960s therefore it is worth a viewing. Arrogant, womanizing rancher Hud Bannon, Paul Newman, has a bad reputation in his small town as he regularly drinks and has a bad relationship with his father Homer, Melvyn Douglas, who is deeply principled. Caught in between the two of them is the orphaned Lonnie, Brandon DeWilde, who admires his uncle Hud for his seemingly glamorous lifestyle but feels a deep loyalty to his grandfather. Hud also pursues his father's flirtatious housekeeper Alma, Patricia Neal, who resists his affections because she is afraid of him hurting her. Meanwhile foot-and-mouth disease breaks out among the cows owned by Homer which forces him to execute all of them. The relationship between Hud and his father continues to deteriorate as time goes on and when he attempts to sexually assault Alma he isolates everybody around him. The film is special in that it manages to capture the atmosphere of small town Texas with immediacy and detail. We are greeted immediately with the sight of a tall, skinny man walking around a mostly deserted town in a cowboy hat. The wide roads and ornate storefronts reminded me of how Anarene, Texas was presented in The Last Picture Show but here it feels even sadder because only one of our main characters is a teenager while our other main character is an older man who acts like a teenager. The sweeping shots of the farm landscape are also impressive as they feel reminiscent of later John Ford films with a lone male figure cutting a strong shape against an unforgiving landscape. Cinematographer James Wong Howe also worked on The Rose Tattoo (1955), which I was not so hot on, and I would say he does markedly better work here as he builds an environment that feels utterly ruthless for these often vicious, weathered characters to interact in. Douglas gives the performance of a lifetime as the stoic, disappointed patriarch of a family in conflict who feels the west changing. He does more than just convey an intense and painful hatred for his immoral son as we see a man whose life has been defined by his morals have everything he has worked for taken away from him. He delivers several long, winding monologues that would feel stagey or over the top in the hands of a lesser actor but Douglas imbues the lines he delivers with a passion and an emotionality that leaves us with no doubt as to how his character feels without ever making us feel we are being preached to or exposited at as an audience. I can completely understand why he won an Academy Award for his performance as he is inarguably the best part of the film and lends some much needed gravitas to a film where the presence of his character needs to hang over our anti-hero throughout. What surprised me in terms of Academy Award wins was that Neal was not only nominated for an Academy Award but nominated in the Best Actress category when she appears on screen for just 22 minutes and isn't all that impressive. This is not to say that she isn't perfectly fine in her role as she is convincing as a simultaneously flirtatious and guarded older woman who protects herself from a man who will prove to be predatory. She gets the twang right and the chemistry is there between herself and Newman but both actors are completely overshadowed by the towering presence that is Douglas and Neal never really shines. I would have given the Best Actress award to Rachel Roberts for her performance as an emotionally fraught widow in This Sporting Life (1963). I would recommend watching this film even if only for the incredible performance from Melvyn Douglas and the cinematography.

The best movie ever made! With the best movie quote ever spoken: "I'll remember you, honey. You're the one that got away."

Hud is an amazing, classic masterpiece that i love and have seen several times.. I'm Just hoping it gets a blu ray release 1 day! !