We celebrate one of the all-time greats, the late Gene Hackman, with ten essential movies…
One of the best to ever step in front of the camera sadly left us recently. Gene Hackman’s long and illustrious career, in many ways, felt like an anomaly. He was intense and enthralling whenever he was on screen. An intimidating villain, a blunt and uncompromising anti-hero or an imposing authority figure. No matter the role, Hackman was pre-loaded with a rare magnetism and gravitas. Very much a character actor, who for years in his burgeoning cinematic career was deemed not handsome enough to be a movie star. Yet, as his long career attests, he was afforded the lead, the centre stage, countless times despite not looking like Cary Grant, or later, Harrison Ford, for example.
It’s also rare to see Hackman turn up in irredeemable duds, with one of the exceptions being a cash grab return to comic book villainy when he was persuaded to reprise his role as Lex Luthor in Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Unsurprisingly, Hackman was recognised regularly during award seasons, exemplified by his 5 Oscar nominations, two of which earned him the trophy. Classic upon classic makes it hard to narrow it down, but here are 10 essentials everyone needs to see…
Superman: The Movie
The first great comic book film, and it is still a benchmark that no other cinema adaptation of Superman has ever come close to. There are a number of reasons why. For one, you’ve got the sure hand, set-piece flair, and storytelling nous of Richard Donner. Then you have Christopher Reeve, the only man to perfectly embody Superman AND his alter-ego Clark Kent. No one has come within a country mile of him, despite what Snyder bros might tell you.
Then there’s Hackman. He is wonderfully abetted by Ned Beatty as his bumbling sidekick, Otis, but Hackman took an iconic comic book baddie and did something so rarely seen in villains of comic book movies since. He made Lex totally nonchalant. Wry, arrogant and devious. It was almost like Luthor was a good second-hand car salesman with a penchant for fleecing customers. Despite Luthor’s persistent attempts at World domination and causing near world-ending chaos, Hackman still made him oddly likeable. No one has ever dared follow suit, often opting to take their villains with laser-focused seriousness. Ironically, Hackman even dialled back the cold intensity he’s capable of and has shown playing the villain in other movies.
The French Connection
Hackman’s major breakthrough came in Bonnie and Clyde and also earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his fleeting but barnstorming role. A few years later, with Hollywood nicely into the swing of its greatest golden age (in no small part beginning with Bonnie and Clyde), Hackman took the lead in The French Connection, playing uncompromising and unorthodox cop, Popeye Doyle.
William Friedkin’s lithe and gritty crime thriller is exceptional and certainly thrilling. A lot is said of the show-stopping car chase, but the real energy throughout and the driving force of the picture is Hackman, backed up by the perennially underrated Roy Scheider. Hackman excelled at bold, brassy and brash characters who stormed in and out of scenes, never allowing anyone to steal their thunder. It’s an art that Hackman mastered better than almost everyone.
Scarecrow
A lesser-known entry but somewhat remarkably so. Although it gathered some degree of praise on release, Scarecrow is a film that has fallen by the wayside of cinema history. In part, it was released during such an incredible period in American cinema, not least for its two leads, Hackman and Al Pacino. Is it Godfather or French Connection tier? No, but Scarecrow is still an engaging and idiosyncratic road movie with Hackman and Pacino both excelling as a mismatched pair who travel East together.
It’s also great to see two titans sharing the screen in the early days of their illustrious careers, even if Hackman was in his 40s by then.
The Conversation
There are gap fillers, and then there are gap fillers. Sandwiched between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Francis Ford Coppola wanted to fill a space and do something far less grandiose and more stripped back. That’s not to say The Conversation is half-baked or loose and careless. It’s as impeccably made as the gangster epics that launched Coppola to the stratosphere.
The Conversation, thanks to a great script, brilliant direction and arguably the greatest sound design ever, is one of the best paranoia thrillers ever made. Then there’s Hackman, who has largely been known for those dominant, colourful and barnstorming characters. He exudes rugged charisma and bullishness as Popeye, or suave arrogant assurance as Luthor. As Harry, a surveillance expert who is preeminent in the field of audio recording, Hackman plays his most subdued and introspective role. The performance doesn’t need to be swaggering or grand; it’s all about nuance and showing his simmering guilt, repression and growing paranoia as the film progresses. I think it’s Hackman’s best performance.
Mississippi Burning
Alan Parker’s legacy cannot be underestimated, and yet when the great pantheon of exceptional directors is discussed, his name doesn’t come up nearly enough. For a man who made Fame, Angel Heart, Midnight Express, The Commitments and many more, it’s a little bit criminal. He also made Mississippi Burning, loosely based on the real-life disappearance and murder of three activists.
Hackman stars as a seasoned and world-weary Fed with a droll sense of humour who is reluctantly subordinate to a younger superior, played by Willem Defoe. It’s a gripping and exceptionally acted film, showcasing a difficult period of American history in a particularly difficult area. Defoe and Hackman are great, while Hackman gets the showier of the two roles, and yet (as always) makes it seem just so effortless. Frances McDormand is also incredible and Parker keeps this one pretty tight and propulsive (aided further by Trevor Jones’s score).
Hoosiers
Ah, the humble underdog sports movie. You’ve seen it before, and you’ll see it again, but have you seen Hoosiers with Gene Hackman as a disgraced basketball coach tasked with turning around the fortunes of a high school basketball team?
If you haven’t, you really should. It hits every beat you’d expect, but the coaching team here takes the tried and tested formula to new heights. Hackman is commanding and engaging as always, and Dennis Hopper is also in top form as his assistant.
Night Moves
Hackman reteamed with Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) to star in Night Moves, another underappreciated gem. This mid-70s slice of neo-noir doesn’t head the heady heights of something like Klute or The Long Goodbye, but bolstered by Hackman’s magnetism and Penn’s gift for constructing set pieces, this one really is getting its dues now and not before time.
It features an early role for Melanie Griffith as well as a good turn from James Woods. This one definitely hits the spot where noir lovers are concerned.
Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood saddled up as the star and director to revisit the genre that made him a star. Unforgiven, a star-studded magnun opus in the old west sees Clint’s aging gun toter, locking horns with Gene Hackman, as Little Bill.
As far as Westerns go, this hasn’t been bested since and with a cast that included Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris and Frances Fisher, it’s Gene Hackman who steals the show without breaking a sweat.
Another Woman
Woody Allen has made a lot of films. Many of which are excellent and iconic. Naturally, some don’t register the kind of Richter scale rating as others, and Another Woman is the perfect example. It opened to mixed reviews and has taken a long time to really lure in its fans. However, in hindsight, there are a lot of great strengths here. The ensemble cast is immense, headed up by Gina Rowlands and Mia Farrow.
Hackman is in fine form here, and the film is also blessed by the cinematography of long-time Bergman cinematographer, Sven Nykvist.
The Royal Tenenbaums
Speaking of great ensembles and auteurs, Hackman’s final standout role came in The Royal Tenenbaums, as the ailing and aging (and gleefully immature) head of an oddball family.
Wes Anderson’s trademark style really hit full force on this one. He’s always been an acquired taste as far as the style of his pictures and the approach to performance, but with such a gifted cast (and Royal Tenenbaums is no different), you’re always guaranteed entertainment. The whole cast is superb, but Hackman and Anjelica Huston do steal the show.
What’s your favourite Gene Hackman film? Let us know on our social channels @flickeringmyth…
Tom Jolliffe
