Gene Hackman's Best Performance

Gene Hackman is great, but he will do anything for money. And has.

Some of my favorite Hackman performances;

Marooned (1969) .... Buzz Lloyd
The Hunting Party (1971) .... Brandt Ruger
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) .... Reverend Frank Scott (This was the first performance I saw by Hackman and I became a fan, at age eight or so)
Young Frankenstein (1974) .... Blindman
French Connection II (1975) .... Doyle
Bite the Bullet (1975) .... Sam Clayton
Uncommon Valor (1983) .... Col. Cal Rhodes
Bat*21 (1988) .... Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
Unforgiven (1992) .... Little Bill Daggett
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) .... Brig. Gen. George Crook
Wyatt Earp (1994) .... Nicholas Earp
The Birdcage (1996) .... Sen. Kevin Keeley
Heartbreakers (2001) .... William B. Tensy
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) .... Royal Tenenbaum - my fav

Royal: Are you trying to steal my woman?
Henry Sherman: I beg your pardon.
Royal: You heard me, Coltrane.
Henry Sherman: "Coltrane"?
Royal: What?
Henry Sherman: Did you just call me Coltrane?
Royal: No.
Henry Sherman: You didn't?
Royal: No.
Henry Sherman: Okay...


He retired? That sucks. I love Gene Hackman. He's one of the coolest.

...

Nothing in five years and nothing on the board. I guess he is retired. Bummer.

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R.I.P.

Most of his best performances have been already posted. So I'm going to have to post the performance I disliked the most by Gene...
Sam Cayhall-The Chamber
Why:I read a lot of Grisham. I've read The Chamber more than once and I just think Gene is way off the character. To this day I still have not finished the whole movie.The whole movie and cast is just way off the mark in my opinion. Excellent book though. I have a vast number of Grisham in our book collection. I do think Gene is an amazing actor and has done amazing work. Happy 80th Gene.

I forgot about Extreme Measures until I saw the "Hugh Grant Question" thread. Hackman gave a terrific speech in that. He definately deserves a happy birthday!

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I certainly believe that his greatest performance is in French Connection II, but I'll admit that when someone has just such a juicy role that it may overshadow the actual performance and make it difficult to determine how awesome it truly is. I mean, most every actor in the world would have loved to have been given the opportunity to play Popeye in French Connection II, and if you've seen the flick, you know exactly what I mean. It doesn't especially lend itself to the most subtle bits of acting, at least in the showcase scene, but there are plenty of chances for him to shine in some subtler moments. I, for one, do not penalize Gene for acting up a storm throughout the movie. Don't forget, "Mickey Mantle SUCKS!"

This is one of the best trailers ever made: .

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Hackman is a strange bird to me. I can appreciate he's a good actor, and yet I've just never cottoned to most of his roles. I think his small bit in Young Frankenstein was his best. He was realistic in Unforgiven; I think playing against Eastwood's low amp performance made Hackman stand out more.

He was competant, but I'd never go to see a movie only because Hackman was in it--there would have to be other attractions.

I had forgotten Hoosiers--I think that was the Hackman movie (and role) I liked best, because his coach was like a real person rather than bigger than life like in The French Connection and Unforgiven.

I think his second best performance is in Mississippi Burning. No matter what you think about how the film plays with the facts, Hackman is great playing off the murderous rednecks, with his nerdy F.B.I. associate (Willem Dafoe) and, especially, in his little romance with bored and wasting-her-life-away Southern wife (Frances McDormand).

What about The Conversation, mark f?

You wouldn't rank his work in that movie higher?

I don't rank it higher, but that's what makes the world go 'round. No, what I mean to say is that it's a very good performance and he has several in his resumé, so I certainly think it could be my third fave. The guy was a monster there for a long time, especially fom 1967 to 1988.

01. French Connection II (1975)
02. Hoosiers (1986)
03. The Conversation (1974)
04. Scarecrow (1973)
05. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
06. Heist (2001)
07. No Way Out (1987)
08. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
09. Get Shorty (1995)
10. Night Moves (1975)
11. The French Connection (1971)
12. Superman (1978)
13. Mississippi Burning (1988)
14. Bite the Bullet (1975)
15. Unforgiven (1992)

Other great performances:
Enemy of the State (1998)
Absolute Power (1997)
Crimson Tide (1995)
Class Action (1991)
Narrow Margin (1990)
The Package (1989)
Bat*21 (1988)
Eureka (1983)
Riot (1969)

Gene Hackman is one of my favorites. Brilliant actor.

Unforgiven is without question his greatest performance. He snagged the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Little Bill.

Other great performances include...

- Bonnie and Clyde
- I Never Sang For My Father
- French Connection
- The Poseidon Adventure
- The Conversation
- French Connection II
- Superman
- Under Fire
- Uncommon Valor
- Twice In A Lifetime
- Hoosiers
- Bat 21
- Mississippi Burning
- Crimson Tide
- Get Shorty
- The Birdcage
- The Royal Lenenbaums
- Behind Enemy Lines

By the way. If you've never seen The Package it's worth checking out. Tommy Lee Jones stars in it with him. It's a good political thriller about an assassination plot. Hackman plays a Master Sergeant in the Army assigned to protect Tommy Lee Jones. It's a good, lesser-known film.

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"Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter." - Ernest Hemingway

Unforgiven remains his best, but I also liked him as the villianous President Of The United States in Absolute Power, a decent Clint Eastwood thriller.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

I could have done without his Lex Luthor (and the silly wavy hair).

I'm going with Unforgiven. Badass performance, for sure.

I haven't seen nearly enough of his performances though.