Gene Hackman’s 10 Best Scenes: From ‘Superman’ to ‘Unforgiven’
Gruff. Authoritative. Crafty. Intense.
Gene Hackman was one of those 20th century legacy actors who — along with the likes of Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood — always brought a uniquely mesmerizing tough competence to his characters. Whether playing a volatile cop in The French Connection, a criminal mastermind in Superman or a murderous sheriff in Unforgiven, Hackman delivered dialogue with an un-showy pragmatism. He often conveyed a simmering undercurrent of anger or a twinkle of dry humor — or both at the same time. Hackman’s typical onscreen persona was also surprisingly versatile, unlike some of his contemporaries. He could convincingly play the hero or the heel and still seem like, well, like Gene Hackman. Even his good guys felt borderline villainous; he helped define “antihero.”
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With the tragic news Thursday of Hackman’s death at the age of 95, The Hollywood Reporter has assembled some of the actor’s finest and most memorable scenes. These selections weren’t easy. Hackman has appeared in more than 70 films. Picking just 10 scenes is an inherently subjective and incomplete effort. But these are some moments from across the decades that stood out.
In no particular order …
Hoosiers (1986): This isn’t Hackman’s best scene from the high school basketball drama. But this is the moment everybody remembers, and it was going viral again in the wake of the actor’s death, so it would be criminal not to include it here. A coach giving a locker room pep talk was a considered a cliché even back in 1986, so Hackman brings his own style to the moment, starting off so very nonchalant and gradually ramping up into a pure motivational holler.
Superman (1978): Hackman’s Lex Luthor set an incredibly high bar for cinema superhero villains that has seldom been matched (Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight and Josh Brolin’s Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War come to mind). Hackman’s Lex was almost always smiling, but its a chilly smile that’s either self-congratulatory at his cleverness, or lightly masking his frustration with his dimwitted lackeys. The dialogue was often so over the top that it’s a measure of Hackman’s talent that he’s able to keep this remotely grounded — such as in his terrific introduction scene. But (and this is cheating a little) Hackman’s single best Lex scene is probably this one from Superman II, where he goes from nearly being killed by a trio of villains to running the show.
Mississippi Burning (1988): Hackman starred along with William Dafoe as FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers. Hackman’s agent is a former Mississippi sheriff, and he plays the character as a violent good ol’ boy who just happens to be on the right side of the law. The role earned Hackman an Oscar nomination and below he gives a corrupt deputy played by Brad Dourif a very, very close shave.
Crimson Tide (1995): Hackman faced off with Denzel Washington as a Navy submarine captain who receives incomplete orders to launch nuclear warheads. His scenes with Washington are terrific and fuel Tony Scott’s thriller. This scene is the pivotal moment where their conflict begins (around the 2:40 mark) and it’s a showcase for both actors — Hackman portraying stubborn authority and Washington portraying equally stubborn subservience, with the fate of the world at stake and gradually building to an explosive fight.
The French Connection (1971): The car chase scene in The French Connection was long cited as the best car chase ever shot. But there are multiple components to a car chase. There’s the footage of cars speeding around, the sound effects, the editing. And then there are the driver’s reactions. It’s the actor behind the steering wheel who sells it. It’s something that Harrison Ford calls, sometimes defensively, “physical acting” — because it’s an almost separate talent, and a crucial one, that’s often underappreciated by critics. While Hackman had plenty of credits before French Connection, this role made Hackman a star, won him his first Oscar and helped establish his screen persona.
Unforgiven (1992): This was the hardest film to choose a scene from, because Hackman is incredible throughout as Sheriff “Little” Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s Western. Is it his riveting death scene? Is it his initial showdown (and beatdown) with Richard Harris in the street? Is it his “Duck of Death” anecdote? Hackman’s finest moment might this relatively low-key scene that showcases his character’s range, from deft humor to terrifying menace (it also features Hackman’s impressive lightening-fast gun draw). Hackman won his second Oscar, this time for best supporting actor, for this performance. Hackman would soon after play another villainous Western sheriff in 1995’s The Quick and the Dead, a performance which almost feels like an unofficial spinoff.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001): In Wes Anderson’s beloved chronicle of a dysfunctional family, Hackman played the Tenenbaums’ eccentric patriarch. In this montage, Royal takes his grandsons out for some old school fun. The sequence shows a charmingly different side of Hackman, who plays with reckless abandon as he jumps in a swimming pool and races go carts.
The Conversation (1974): Francis Ford Coppola’s thriller stars Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential murder. Hackman often plays characters with large personalities. In The Conversation, he shows how much he can do with a more bookish-type role. In this quiet and heartbreaking scene, his character’s lover, played by Teri Garr, tries to squeeze at least some personal details out of him. The scene initially shows how much Hackman can do just by listening (there’s a rising tension waiting for him to speak). Hackman would later play a riff on the character in the action thriller Enemy of the State.
The Birdcage (1996): Arguably Hackman’s best comedic performance, Hackman plays a conservative Republican senator whose daughter is marrying into a family led by two gay men. In this scene, Nathan Lane and Robin Williams sneak Hackman’s character out of a club in drag as the senator goes from feeling incredibly awkward to rather comfortable.
The Poseidon Adventure (1972): Sure, The Poseidon Adventure is one of those cheesy ’70s disaster survival epics featuring plenty of soapy drama. But Hackman’s faith-challenged preacher who leads a group of passengers through the bowels of an overturned cruise ship anchored the film. In his climactic death scene, below, his character rants against God as he sacrifices himself to open a hatch for the rest of the group.
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