Billy Bob Thornton Thinks Landman Fans Should Watch This Classic Movie

"Landman" has become one of the best TV shows on Paramount + by mixing boardroom and bedroom drama into a heady brew, then anchoring its stories in the tough-talking politics of Texas' oil fields. With that in mind, it's not surprising that Billy Bob Thornton thinks fans of the drama need to try out a legendary film that features another Texas family coping with drills and oil derricks. "The movie 'Giant,' one of my favorites, I mean, that took place in the oil business of West Texas. I always tell people that this is kind of like 'Giant,' with cursing!" Thornton told "CBS Sunday Morning" in part.

He expounded upon those thoughts to The Daily Beast. "You don't see the inner workings of the oil business much in a movie or a TV show. I love 'Giant,' the movie was Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor, so I thought it had the potential to be that. Then when I read it, it's like, yeah, it kind of is 'Giant,' only more dangerous and more edgy," he said. While the 1956 film might not be as shocking as "Landman" sometimes is, it's unforgettable for one very important reason. 

"Giant" was the final film made by James Dean before his death in a car crash on September 30, 1955. Widely considered one of Dean's best roles, he would be posthumously nominated for an Oscar for best actor in a motion picture for his work, though he would not win a statuette, which went to Yul Brynner for "The King and I." 

The movie follows two generations of the Benedict family from the 1920s to the early 1940s. Bick (Rock Hudson) is a stubborn cattleman who falls for the beautiful Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor) and marries her, bringing her home to Texas to his ranch, Reata. Leslie clashes with Bick's sister, Luz (Mercedes McCambridge, who received an Oscar for her first movie role in "All The King's Men"), and draws the romantic attention of poor ranch hand Jett Rink (Dean). As the years pass and Bick and Leslie produce children, a new generation of Benedicts will help determine if Reata will continue to support cows or if it will become part of Texas' ever-growing oil industry. It's a conflict that intensifies when Jett becomes very rich from striking oil on a parcel of Benedict land bequeathed to him by Luz and wants to expand his drilling operations deeper into Benedict territory. 

"Giant" is a sweeping epic that has some surprisingly modern things to say about life. It directly addresses racism against Mexican-Americans and the importance of carving your own pathway through the world. That's a message that still resonates with audiences decades later, and will continue doing so for decades to come; the movie was selected for permanent preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States National Film Preservation Board in 2005.