“Do you pick your feet in Poughkeepsie? DO YA? You pick your feet in Poughkeepsie, didn’t ya?”
Still has to be one of the best damn toss-off lines in motion picture history. It was especially perfect if you lived in New York City or that part of the Hudson Valley, and knew what a hole Poughkeepsie really was.
It might not have been the most memorable thing about the movie, “The French Connection”, but damn if Gene Hackman didn’t make it stand out with just the proper snarl.
Gene Hackman is one of the greatest actors in American cinema history. Full stop. I swear I sat there after learning of his passing and tried to think of one, just one movie, where he didn’t nail it. Nope. I got nothing.
Now, I will give you “Lucky Lady” as a complete shipwreck of a movie, but it wasn’t because of Hackman. That’s the point. Even when films such as “Under Fire” were more pop-gun than thriller, Hackman never mailed it in.
His career spanned more than five decades, and during that time, he delivered performances that are as diverse as they are unforgettable. Whether playing a villain, a hero, or a flawed anti-hero, Hackman consistently impressed with his depth, intensity, and ability to blend vulnerability with strength. So, let’s dive into the top 10 films of Gene Hackman’s incredible career, complete with spoilers, and wrap up with the most overlooked gem in his filmography. Original trailers included for those who need a nudge.
Oh, and once again just to be certain everyone read it, SPOILERS. Then again, as anyone with even a hint of movie wonder and awe about them has to have seen all of these films, or at least 8 out of 10, and they’ve all been talked about so much in modern culture, what happens are more great memories than simple spoilers.
Hackman’s portrayal of tough-as-nails detective Popeye Doyle is iconic. based on a true story, the film is a gritty, hard-hitting portrayal of drug trafficking in New York City, and Hackman’s performance anchors it all. Popeye’s obsessive pursuit of drug lord Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) leads to one of the greatest car chases in cinema history, which concludes with a tense and satisfying shootout in the subway. The film ends on a bitter note—Doyle doesn’t get the satisfaction of bringing Charnier down on his own. In fact, the bad guy escapes, to be seen again in the moderately interesting “French Connection II”. Hackman won the Oscar for this role, cementing his reputation as one of the finest actors of his generation. Best part of the story is that director William Friedkin staunchly opposed Hackman for the role, and only after almost every other “tough guy” turned the role down, (as in Steve McQueen), Friedkin settled on Hackman.
Oh, has there ever been a more despicable cur of a villain than Little Bill? Clint Eastwood’s masterpiece, “Unforgiven,” features Hackman as the corrupt and ruthless sheriff Little Bill Daggett. Hackman’s performance is a chilling reminder that the old West wasn’t just about gunfights; it was also about power, control, and morality. Little Bill is a man who believes in law, but his law is one of brutal violence and authoritarianism. In the film's explosive finale, when Hackman faces off against Eastwood's William Munny, the tragic and poetic nature of the film hits home. Hackman’s death, as Munny delivers a few cold-blooded lines before shooting him, is a perfect moment of western justice.
In this paranoid thriller directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Hackman plays Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who becomes obsessed with the implications of a conversation he overhears. The film explores themes of privacy, guilt, and the human need to connect. Hackman’s performance is subtle yet mesmerizing. The final scene, in which Caul destroys his surveillance equipment only to find himself trapped by the very paranoia he’s spent his life avoiding, is a haunting commentary on the cost of knowing too much. The film, like Hackman’s character, lingers long after the credits roll. He actually resisted something along the same lines years later in “Enemy of the State” with Will Smith, and you can see no one but Hackman in the role.
Another based on a true story but heavy on the fictionalized moments to keep Hollywood happy, Hackman, alongside Willem Dafoe, plays an FBI agent investigating the 1964 murders of civil rights workers in Mississippi. His portrayal of Agent Anderson—shrewd, world-weary, but deeply compassionate—is one of his finest. Hackman’s character grows throughout the film, moving from a no-nonsense, sometimes abrasive lawman to a man who understands the deeper consequences of the systemic racism he is up against. The film culminates in a harrowing and powerful sequence where Hackman’s character watches the town's racist leaders pay for their crimes. It’s a pivotal moment in American cinema.
Is there anyone, anywhere, who of that era in reality and filmmaking doesn’t grow just a little wistful when looking in the eyes of those young basketball players? Hackman plays Norman Dale, a troubled, washed-up basketball coach who leads a small-town high school team to a state championship. The film is an inspiring underdog story, and Hackman’s performance is both tough and tender. The film ends with a classic sports movie moment: the team, against all odds, wins the state finals. Hackman’s character, who’s battled personal demons, finds redemption in helping these young athletes believe in themselves. The final shot of him walking off the court, his job done, is a moment of catharsis for both Hackman and the audience. Years later, Hackman admitted he honestly didn’t think the movie would make any impact. Damn, we’re glad he was wrong.
In Wes Anderson’s quirky masterpiece, Hackman plays the estranged father, Royal Tenenbaum, who returns to his dysfunctional family after years of abandonment. Hackman balances the film’s absurdities with a grounded, heartfelt performance. Royal’s gradual redemption, where he tries to reconcile with his children (played by an incredible ensemble cast), is both comic and tragic. The film’s whimsical tone is juxtaposed with moments of real emotional depth, thanks to Hackman’s tender performance. His scene where he gets caught faking illness for sympathy is hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure.
Hackman and Denzel Washington go head-to-head in this high-stakes submarine thriller. Hackman plays Captain Frank Ramsey, a no-nonsense leader with a rigid sense of authority. When a potential nuclear strike order is called into question, the tension between Hackman’s character and Washington’s Lt. Commander Hunter leads to a battle of wills that escalates to mutiny. The film culminates in a nail-biting confrontation, and Hackman’s character, ultimately vindicated, returns to being a hero—a man of duty, but also someone who can be ultimately driven by an unyielding sense of righteousness. I’ve always found it interesting that in the film, so much technical naval and submarine jargon was used, but Hackman admitted he had absolutely no idea what he was saying. That’s what a real actor does, turn themselves into the character, and make the performance stunningly real.
This epic World War II film features Hackman in a role that’s a little more reserved compared to his usual characters, but it’s still one of his best. Hackman plays Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski, a Polish commander involved in the ill-fated Operation Market Garden. His performance is one of the few grounded and reflective portrayals in a film that’s packed with larger-than-life personalities. Hackman’s tragic end in the movie, as his character is sent on a suicide mission that’s doomed to fail, adds emotional weight to the epic tragedy of the battle. Among WW2 films, certainly not one of the best, but again, Hackman nailed his part.
Perhaps cast in large part due to a similar role in “Unforgiven”, Hackman plays Herod, the villainous town sheriff who controls everything in the wild, lawless town. A film directed by Sam Raimi, “The Quick and the Dead” is a stylish Western that pits Sharon Stone’s Ellen against Hackman’s sadistic Herod in a high-stakes shootout. Hackman’s portrayal of a man who enjoys power and cruelty is both terrifying and fascinating. The film’s finale, with Hackman’s character meeting his match in a showdown, is both inevitable and might even have some cheering.
The man was born to play Lex Luthor. No one before or since has turned the role into a masterpiece. As Luthor, Hackman is an unforgettable antagonist in this superhero classic, playing the comically genius and villainous real-estate mogul bent on destroying the world to increase his own wealth. Luthor is a classic foil for Superman—smug, arrogant, and always one step ahead. His plan to split California into two using a missile and land acquisition is as ridiculous as it is menacing. The character, while over-the-top, is one of the best comic-book villains of the era, and Hackman’s charm makes Luthor a memorable part of the film’s legacy.
The Most Overlooked Film: "The Conversation" (1974)
Despite being a landmark film in the paranoid thriller genre, “The Conversation” doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. Hackman’s role as Harry Caul, the obsessed surveillance expert, is one of his most nuanced performances. The film’s slow-burn tension and its meditation on privacy, guilt, and paranoia are as relevant today as they were in 1974. It’s a criminally overlooked masterpiece in Hackman’s catalog that deserves more attention, not just for Hackman’s performance but for its wider thematic resonance.
My personal favorites are about as dissimilar as one can get. “Night Moves” (1975) has Hackman as a former professional football player turned LA private eye who is caught up in a maelstrom of sinister event as he looks for the missing teenage daughter of a famous actress. While it wasn’t considered a success, over the years it has grown into a neo-noir thriller that is impossible to put down once the opening scenes roll. Look for a very young Melanie Griffith in her first major role.
And of course, it’s impossible to talk about Gene Hackman without noting his hysterical turn as the blind cleric in “Young Frankenstein”. Turns out Hackman played tennis with the film’s star, Gene Wilder. The two were talking about the movie, Wilder mentioned a small role known as the “Blind Hermit”, and Hackman asked Wilder if he could convince Mel Brooks to let him play it. Kismet.
Gene Hackman’s career is filled with complex, nuanced characters that often straddle the line between good and bad, and his ability to bring these roles to life is what makes his filmography so compelling. Whether as a hero or villain, Hackman always delivered. Fair to say that of the generation, he and Clint Eastwood are the greatest actors, creating a wide range of indelible characters. A Hackman performance from the 70’s or any era is as fresh and meaningful as anything Hollywood produces now.
Just be certain to bring the cigars and espresso.
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