HUD

What About It?

Hud is a movie about generations, family and changing times. The central message would seem to be that "Little by little the look of the country changes because of the men we admire."
Although a surface glance might suggest that it's close to a good versus evil kind of story, it's really not quite so simple, and right and wrong are not really as important as what each character can live with.  We can certainly sympathize with Homer and his code of ethics but at the same time he's no more blameless than anyone else. He sees the world as black and white and tries to act with respect for the law and his fellow man. His rigid code causes him to despise his son, Hud, who's code of ethics is simply to look out for number one. Yet these codes are tied to each other as Hud mockingly points out to Homer, "I just naturally had to go bad in the face of so much good." Hud doesn't really see things that simply, and the "good" he mentions is mentioned sarcastically, but he's a smart man and is giving Homer an example of the problem that he can understand. Homer is a traditionalist, full of the classic stoicism. He will destroy himself rather than go home and take a nap when he has a job to do. He strikes us as a good man with mostly admirable ideals. His main flaw is that he allows his ideals to create a blindspot which leave him unable to show any interest in, or compassion to his own son. When Hud reveals that he got his brother Norman killed, we assume like Hud does, that this is the source of the animosity between father and son, and despite Homer's claims to the contrary, it has to be a large part of it. Homer's claims that he was sick of Hud before that only reveal that he never felt Hud lived up to his ideals. We need to remember that Hud was a teenager when Norman died, and could probably have used some guidance along with judgment. Hud also clearly worshipped his brother and had his own guilt and grief to go through without, it would appear, the least bit of support. Yet, Homer is not a monster, he does have some feeling for Hud, and when Lon starts trying to hang out with him we see that while on the one hand Homer doesn't approve, on the other, it makes him happy that Lon has the chance to see another example of manhood.

Homer wants to be OK with Hud, but he can't as Hud has come to flagrantly represent  values in direct opposition to his own. Hud is not only a womanizer, but one who seems to only frequent married women, an act which seems to suggest his enmity for tradition, the law and the common trust implied by small town life. One incident would not be such a statement, but his taking this on as a pattern of behavior makes us take a closer look. Hud doesn't see why, in a world that's "full of crap" he can't just take whatever he wants, finding the traditional values absurd. Hud applies himself with the energy of a crusader, but his mission is to show, that the rules are equally "full of crap." Hud and Homer first discussing the foot and mouth disease predicament shows us perfectly where they're opposed. While Homer sees no option but to turn to the government and then to follow their requirement that the animals be tested and quite possibly destroyed, Hud feels they should circumvent this and sell the cattle quietly before the government comes back. Behind the ethical dilemma, there's the very real fact that Hud's suggestion could cause a major epidemic throughout the country. Knowing this, we have little choice but to side with Homer, yet Hud is not entirely off base when he tells Homer,  "Epidemics are big business, price fixing, crooked TV shows, income tax finagling, souped up expense accounts. How many honest men you know? You take the sinners away from the saints, you're lucky to end up with Abraham Lincoln. Now I say let us put our bread into some of that gravy while it is still hot."  Hud is espousing the "Wall Street" code of ethics long before the "Greed is good" slogan came around. Framing their ethical difference against a situation with dire possible consequence is a very clever way of making us take Homer's side, but in doing so, we may miss the point that Hud's disaffection with the rules does have some validity and assuming the government is going to look out for you or that doing the right thing will pay off, is very naive. Epidemics are big business, and Hud's other assertions are true as well. Between the two of them, the reasonable conclusion to come to is that neither is completely right, but in this case, to go with Hud's idea would be a completely disastrous gamble.

Just as Homer isn't completely good, Hud is not completely bad. He's a guy who has simpy found a way to exist that puts his pain to use. When he and Lon start bonding, we see that he has a desire to connect with the boy. He wants Lon to look up to him, but he also wants Lon to see him as a kind of warning. Yet, being a human being, and not a total object lesson, Hud can't always decide which of these he wants more. Lon reminds Hud of his dead brother, who was once the world to him. Camraderie with Lon, is in a way, a way to have this again, although he's constantly reminded of the fact that he himself is not the same person he was then. He urges Lon to "Get all the good you can out of 17 because it sure wears out in one hell of a hurry." Hud's lifestyle and the enormous energy he expends thumbing his nose at decency is catching up with him and his rebellion is fast turning to a hardened cynicism. He's smart. He knows this and isn't happy about it. He even points out to Lon that he will eventually get old like Homer. Hud's flirtations with Alma are perhaps the clearest indicator that he isn't completely happy with who he is. They both find each other very attractive and the sexual tension is palpable. Alma is not afraid to speak her mind about it or talk frankly either. In a sense, this makes Alma unnaproachable to Hud. SHe's a woman who has no regulation to tell her she can't be with Hud. She's also taken in by his charm, yet aware of his true natureand not helpless before it. A smart and attractive unattached woman is very much a chance for him to live his life more decently. This leaves him conflicted, and it's not accidental that he has to park on her garden or that his only real attempt to establish affection turns into an ugly show of force which leaves her appaled and terrified with no choice but to run away.

In the end the real story is Lon's. Lon is the current generation and as such has nowhere near the character of Hud or Homer. He is almost a blank slate, an orphan who models his idea of a man on the father figures he has at hand. He worships Homer, but at the same time identifies with and envies Hud's good times oriented lifestyle, sensing the implication beneath it that Homer's home spun wisdom just doesn't cover everything. Lon can't completely deny that there's a mean streak in the world, given his own losses, yet he begins remarkably good natured, due to Homer's interest and influence. The lessons he learns from Hud are "adult" lessons, and he gets them at a time when he's only just become capable of turning them around in his head. He's not gifted with Homer's sense or Hud's charm, coming across as goofy and wet behind the ears most of the time. His clumsy efforts to prove to Hud that he's more mature than Hud thinks reveal this more than anything. He comes to blame Hud for Homer dying and while there is some truth to it, it shows that he can't grasp the complexity of the situation, that both of them had their own parts in the family drama. We see Lon become weathered by years in a matter of days coping with Homer's loss. His statement that he doesn't believe that Homer's in a better place " unless dirt is a better place than air." marks the beginning of Lon as his own man. Once established, he doesn't waste time, making his first course of action to distance himself from Hus and go out into the world to become his own man. That's what every generation has to deal with, taking in the influence of generations before and then choosing what to do with them. And we can hope that Hud's warning "This world's so fulla crap, a man's gonna get into it sooner or later whether he's careful or not." doesn't catch up with Lon, but nevertheless we can't argue that he may be right and the best to be hoped for is that Lon finds a way to live that works for him in a productive way, hopefully not as destructive as Hud's or as unyielding as Homer's.

As a film, Hud is simply a beatiful work, the black and white stark western scenery really gives it an epic feeling, which is brought out to full effect by the spare and evocative score of simple guitar music. The film would work well as a picture book aside from the story. The harshness and beauty both present all the time give it a strong presence. The performances here are extraordinary, Hud being an acting landmark for Newman, and a cornerstone in the progress of the film antihero. He creates a despicable character that nonetheless is very human and believable. Hud isn't an evil man but a wounded one who has xcoe to be Ok with hurting others. While we may not cheer him on, Newman's humanity at least lets us feel for him and hope he can get things right, even knowing that he won't. Many have compared this role to his role in "Cool Hand Luke." but I would say that both roles inform each other more than compete. Melvyn Douglas' Homer is pitch perfect, a larger than life American cowboy figure, not seeing the need to waste a word, or an ounce of effort, but applying both when he deems they're useful. Patricia Neal is also extraordinary as one of the most empowered female roles of the period. She isn't afraid or timid about her own sexuality and doesn't feel the need to be a plaything at the whims of a man. Alma has learned a lot of life lessons and applied them, and like Hud, she looks out for number one, but isn't intent on making anyone else pay. The chemistry between her and Newman is amazing, like a longstanding veiled threat of action just below the surface.  Brandon De Wilde pulls off his role very well, although he intentioally doesn't have the character or charisma of the other characters. if he did though, the movie wouldn't work So he does exactly what needs to be done.

In a sense Hud is a black and white movie about the approaching end of the black and white world. A new generation begins with probably more information than it would ever want and decisions before it which can't be solved without much searching, and even then, always with a chance of being wrong. As Homer tells Lon "You're just going to have to make up your own mind one day, about what's right and what's wrong." There's no rule book, only what you yourself have learned and can live with.

What Happens?

Hud opens on a wide open Texas landscape, which turns to a highway while spare and lovely guitar music plays. We then meet Lon (Brandon De Wilde) an impressionable teenager catching a ride into town to retrieve his Uncle Hud. The driver lets him out and asks how he'll look for Hud and Lon explains he just has to find Hud's pink Cadillac.Seeing a bartender sweeping up window glass from the sidewalk, Lon asks what the trouble was, the bar owner explains his trouble was Hud being there the last night.

Narc

What About it?
(for a full summary of the film, scroll down to "What Happens?")

"Narc" is a film about people attempting to cope with their own damaged lives in a dark world that doesn't make special allowances. Everyone in the movie has secrets and motives that they themselves are not fully aware of. Bad things happen to good people here and being a good cop doesn't make you a good husband or father. Both Tellis and Oaks are far more dedicated to the idea of their jobs than to anything else in the world, although they've each arrived at that point very differently. Both characters see themselves as "good guys." and have good intentions to spare. The trait that they share most, however, is that each man believes that his own judgment is enough to define his universe.

Jason Patric and Ray Liotta both give us textured and nuanced characters full of contradiction and complexity. Each performance augments the other like two sides of a coin or maybe two of the same coin, only weathered differently. Jason Patric's Nick Tellis is the lead and it's his concerns we're faced with.We don't know where Tellis comes from, but he has an unshakable dedication to doing the right thing according to his own values. He needs to be a cop but not so much that he'll "play ball" He refuses to address the police committee "head hung low, hat in hand." or even to entertain the thought that his actions were too aggressive or that the woman shot, could have been spared. While we know he has spoken with the woman he also believes that he did exactly what needed to be done. He made a choice to save a little girl and stop Dowd, everything else, while regrettable perhaps, is beside the point for him. The split second when he switches from being happy at saving the girl, to realizing someone else was hurt is agonizing and shows how close a hero is to a failure. Yet he still defends his actions proudly, refusing to pretend he doesn't have an impossible job that he does very well. He doesn't see himself as answerable to anyone but himself, not the police department, or his wife. Yet, he also acts as if he serves a calling. Audrey speaks to this compulsion when she says "What, you think catching 'em is going to make you less like them?" He certainly has the dedication of a man hoping to save himself. He doesn't say a word when she leaves, as if it's just a price he'd already accepted. Despite keeping his own counsel, he does have a regard for the rules and is very moral, not able to entertain killing a drug dealer for a murder he didn't commit, or even to frame him for it. He does believe in justice, truth and protecting the innocent, although he's flexible on the procedures needed to obtain these things.

Liotta's Henry Oak is a good partner for him. Oak is a very competent and efficient cop. His calling is similar to Tellis', except that his anger is more active, and he enjoys dealing out pain in the interests of justice. He openly despises the regulations which protect those who harm the innocents of the world from being harmed themselves. He's not the textbook movie out of control cop though. He knows the system and knows how to make solid arrests. ALthough he defies the rules enough to get IA looking at him constantly, he knows enough to make them work hard to get him. He knows when he can beat a guy with a billiard ball in the police station and when he can't, although he is likely okay with getting caught eventually, as he would still see himself being right. Oak is uncompromising, intimidating and relentless. Like  Tellis, he is his own authority, but he has far less use for tact or mercy. We also learn more about Oak's past, seeing the way he speaks of his wife, his character's brutality is more understandable. He lost everything that was good in the world to him and on some level he ended up trying to get payback for that, although nothing would ever make it right. It's easy to believe that Oak was capable of killing his partner. Without knowing the detail of his relationship with Calvess, it's entirely possible that he could have killed him given the right reason. Tellis even seems Ok with it, when he assumes that Oaks discovered Calvess was selling out other cops and killed him for that. The truth however reveals that Oaks was far more vulnerable than anyone realized and only trying to salvage an unacceptable situation for people he cared about. His revealed relationship with Kathryn reveals more of the same. His hidden compassion was what encouraged him to bend rules. While Tellis has little choice but to shoot him, the solving of the mystery becomes much more tragic, when we understand Oaks' motivation. Ray Liotta brings an amazing presence to the role, giving Oaks an imposing physicality I haven't seen from him before or since. Liotta's always capable of intensity, but here he seems as if he could kill someone by looking at them wrong, but then in another moment be remarkably sincere about missing his wife, without diminishing his threat level at all. Although we see primarily Tellis viewpoint, for every moment Liotta is present there are two lead roles. It's fortunate that they complement each other so well, overlapping in some respects, yet opposed in others, yet their interaction always informs us about both of them.

The supporting cast is all solid as well, Busta Rhymes is convincing as Darnell, a surprisingly reasonable drug dealer with a stubborn streak. John Ortiz is great as Octavia, the pantsless junkie with a penis problem. Kirsta Bridges really makes her small part count, with a few appearances selling her impossible situation and the loss of Tellis' home life. Everyone makes it work. Joe Carnahan's direction gives us a world that would produce these characters, full of blood, dirt, venereal disease, abuse and betrayal, it's a wonder that anyone in Narc, would be compelled to even try to do the right or decent thing.

The opening foot chase alone is a marvel of tension and feels more dangerous than most car chases I've seen. The desperation comes through in every second and doesn't let up when Tellis catches Dowd. Moments after it starts we see a man dying miserably and senselessly in the street and Tellis having to choose instantaneously between stopping for a man who's already likely dead, or trying to prevent the next victim.
His next choice is whether or not to shoot at a crazed junkie with a little girl in his arms, only to have that small victory yanked away. In a sense the whole film is an extension of that tension, as Tellis doesn't get the ending to the chase that he wanted but feels the effects every moment afterwards. From the chase, we skip eight months of stasis and end up in a board room, which is as close an opposite to a frantic chase as I could think of. Tellis and Oaks both live for the chase, and crave opportunities for decisive action, yet the investigation is largely walkign around and talkign to people, finding leads from a crackhead who can't put pants on, much less run, and a corpse who's been in the bathtub for weeks. Something needs to happen, but little can match the adrenaline of the opening scene. In a very real sense Tellis is still screaming for help on the playground, and Oaks is still missing a moment with his wife, but all they can do is try to make something happen.

Tellis (and everyone else) lives in a mess, which certainly started long before, but the chase works as a compelling entry point. It's a great strategy as the story is very much about dealing with life as a series of aftermaths. The Calvess case fits right in with that idea, the case itself is aftermath, the trail is cold and it's largely a loose end that needs to be tied up for it's possible political significance. Only when Oaks is introduced does the case seem to have any real life in it, and while Oaks certainly cares, it's a loose end to him as well, only for different reasons.

The attention to detail and characterization present a full world with possibilities everywhere. You could remove either Liotta or Patric and still have more than enough character to make a decent movie. It would be a very different movie of course, as the strength of the film is watching them interact, but both characters investigate on their own, their own ways, as if forgetting sometimes that they're partnered. I have no doubt that their own films would be compelling, if lacking some of the amazing depth given to them in Narc.

This is a dark movie to be sure, not offering any hope outright, except in the process, the idea that despite the likelihood that it will all end badly, there are people out there who try to defend the helpless. Whether they're effective or not is another story. Sometimes they are, although even when they succeed, there are others who can't be helped. All in all, you have a compelling picture of two human disaster stories that have been kicked around enough to be able to deal with most anything, except the possibility that they won't achieve their purpose in the world. There is hope in the effort, there's also tragedy and futility, and at the end we find truth which only presents more dilemmas and possibilities. What should Tellis do with the tape recorder when the truth doesn't appear as if it would be much help to anyone? Narc is full of these questions. We can't discount Tellis question "What if it was me?" But we also can't discount Audrey's frustration watching Nick get swept up into old problems again. We can say that Oaks went too far trying to frame the drug dealers, but his action is colored differently when we learn they're not just coincidental patsies, but people he blames for destroying his close friend. It's still a gross abuse of power but it isn't a blind one. There are many kinds of rights and wrongs present and degrees between each, but they don't often match up in neat pairs.

We're not given characters that anyone would want to emulate. However pure their motives, Tellis and Oaks are both consumed by their issues. Police work gives them an outlet for distraction, but not any resolution. Neither of these men have room for anything but the job in their lives. They may accomplish something good now and then, but what they see and deal with daily alienates them from the rest of the world, leaving them very good at what they do, but not much good at anything else, as Tellis points out when Audrey suggests he try another job. And so we end up with a place where good isn't always rewarded, bad isn't always punished and some men are compelled to work tirelessly to give themselves meaning and purpose for as long as they can manage. I don't think that's so farfetched and while it may be very dark, there's certainly some goodness in these characters and this film, otherwise it wouldn't be so tragic.

What Happens?



Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) is an undercover cop remembering his last assignment which ended in a strenuous foot chase after a drug dealer named Dowd. Dowd is fast and ruthless, shooting up a bystander with a lethal dose of drugs, although Tellis runs past the victim in order to catch him, although he next grabs a little girl from a playground and threatens to shoot her up too. Tellis however, shoots the dealer anyway, firing several shots. He kills the dealer and the girl is unharmed, but one of his bullets ricochets and hits a pregnant woman who is bleeding badly. Tellis screams for help as children scream in the background, and the woman sobs in pain.