This film essentially begins in a small Texas town with a young man by the name of "Lonnie Banner" (Brandon De Wilde) searching for his uncle, "Hud Bannon" (Paul Newman). As it so happens, Lonnie finds Hud in a house with a married woman where he spent the night. After informing him that Hud's father "Homer Bannon" (Melvyn Douglas) needed to see him about an urgent problem the two of them then drive back to the ranch to find out what is going on. At first Hud is not too concerned with the dead cow his father shows him lying in the field, but his opinion changes when a veterinarian is called who announces that it could be hoof and mouth disease-which would imperil the entire herd. Hud--being the selfish and irresponsible man that he is-advises his father to sell the entire herd quickly before the news is announced. Homer, on the other hand, is much more principled than that and is determined to kill the herd if necessary to prevent an epidemic which would affect others. And this exasperates the animosity the two men have been having toward each other for over ten years. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an interesting movie which had good acting, a well-developed plot as well as some surprising twists and turns along the way. I also liked the manner in which the director (Martin Ritt) managed to capture the environment of the Texas Panhandle so well. That said, I enjoyed this movie and have rated it accordingly.
