3 Gene Hackman Movies You Absolutely Need to Rewatch

The mysterious circumstances surrounding the late Gene Hackman‘s death have been making the headlines for a few days, and while the exact timeline there may forever remain somewhat unconfirmed, what is without question is that he was one of Hollywood’s true greats. No matter how lousy the project, he could elevate it, even Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and his final film, Welcome to Mooseport. For the most part, though, Hackman’s projects were far from lousy, partly due to the fact he not once ever turned in a half-baked or lazy performance. Even when he wasn’t the name above the title on the poster, he was the true standout star.

With a filmography spanning just over 40 years, there are plenty of Hackman classics and minor classics to pick from. Some the viewer may never have seen before, some they likely have. What follows are the ones people likely have seen and should now see again to pay their respects to a truly phenomenal talent. There are only three here, but it should be noted many came quite close to being included, e.g. Bonnie and Clyde, The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, Young Frankenstein, the first two Superman movies, Mississippi Burning, The Firm, The Birdcage, Hoosiers, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Enemy of the State. As for the deeper cuts, Scarecrow, Postcards from the Edge, No Way Out, Uncommon Valor, and Night Moves are also highly recommended.

Unforgiven

Clint Eastwood will likely go down as the definitive Western star, and even considering The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, his Unforgiven might very well be the best entry of the genre on his filmography. It’s one of the few movies, regardless of genre, where every single performer fully understands their assignment and delivers a note-perfect performance, from Eastwood and Morgan Freeman to Richard Harris and, yes, Hackman.

The actor’s work as cold-blooded antagonist Sheriff “Little” Bill Daggett is what got him his second and final Academy Award win, and it’s easy to see why. The character is well-written, but it’s Hackman who fully sells just how cruel and sadistic Daggett is. The scene where he humiliates Harris’ English Bob is devastating as is his glee in torturing Freeman’s Ned Logan. Hackman was perfect for the role, and he ends up stealing the movie without stealing a single heart in the audience.

Get Shorty

It was always great to see Hackman play against gruff type. And, while he certainly could pull off the hard-edged detective with his own way of doing things or the town sheriff with no soul, the actor was equally adept at playing what amounted to the diametric opposite. The most notable example of this is perhaps The Birdcage, or at least that film’s third act, but equally impressive was his work in Get Shorty. The film is an energetic and humorous adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel of the same name. The late Leonard was like Stephen King in that much of his bibliography has been adapted for film and television. His style and prose made for natural inclusions when it came to the glut of crime comedies released in the wake of Pulp Fiction‘s massive success.

And also like with King, Leonard adaptations are nothing if not a mixed bag. Get Shorty, like the FX series Justified and Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight, is a stone-cold winner (though its Hackman-free sequel, Be Cool, is very much not). To a degree, this is John Travolta’s show, as his take on Miami lone shark turned Hollywood producer Chili Palmer is impeccable. But when he’s sharing the screen with Hackman’s squirrely schlock-master Harry Zimm, who can’t even pretend to be tough well, it’s the latter who walks away with the scene. Hackman’s characters were typically the ones throwing the punches in movies, but by the end of Get Shorty his Zimm can’t even drink a smoothie with two straws, and it’s evident that the actor was having a good time playing the arrogant but not ultra-talented punching bag.

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The French Connection

The French Connection was Hackman’s breakthrough, even though he scored his first Oscar nomination a few years prior for his supporting work as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde. The film came from William Friedkin, two years shy of The Exorcist, and proudly displays both the director and lead star at the top of their game. It’s based on a non-fiction book but plays very much like an engrossing Hollywood motion picture while simultaneously retaining a heavy dose of grounded, gritty realism.

Hackman was nominated for five Academy Awards throughout his career and, like Unforgiven, The French Connection was one of his two wins. Deservedly so, because he’s able to take the crass and, for some people’s tastes, foul mouthed, Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and make him a character well worth rooting for. It’s because of Hackman they buy that he genuinely wants to see New York’s streets clear of heroin. He feels like a real person in a real world, and while plenty of actors can make characters memorable, Hackman made them feel organic.