The great actorGene Hackmanbegan acting in Pasadena plays back in the 1950s, eventually moving into television and film before exploding in popularity as Buck Barrow, brother of Clyde, in 1967’s masterfulBonnie and Clyde. His performance earned him an Oscar nomination, his first of five (he would win two of these, forThe French ConnectionandUnforgiven). While the actor hadn’t appeared on-camera in 20 years, it was still a sad shock to learn thatHackman passed away today, Jul 29, 2025. As such, we’re remembering the many great films that Hackman made even better.
‘The Poseidon Adventure’
The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure is a disaster film directed by Ronald Neame. It follows a group of passengers as they struggle for survival after their luxury cruise ship capsizes in the open sea. Starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, and Shelley Winters, the film showcases their desperate journey to safety amidst perilous conditions. The Poseidon Adventure is based on Paul Gallico’s novel and emphasizes themes of bravery and human resilience.
The Poseidon Adventureis one ofthe great ‘disaster epics’ of the 1970s, coming from action-adventure producer Irwin Allen of The Towering Inferno and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Combining his large-scale approach with the sophistication and wit of Ronald Neame’s direction, top-notch visual effects, and an all-star ensemble was a winning recipe.
Drowning in Action
Gene Hackman leads a cast that also includes Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, Roddy McDowall, and Leslie Nielsen. Hackman plays a strict, conservative Christian Reverend on the capsized ocean liner, trying to save a group of fellow passengers. His theological journey, combined with the grueling, wet physicality of the action, makes this one of Hackman’s best characters.
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‘French Connection II’
French Connection II
French Connection II follows “Popeye” Doyle as he travels to Marseilles, determined to track down Alain Charnier, the elusive drug smuggler. Set after the events in New York, this sequel captures Doyle’s relentless pursuit amidst the gritty backdrop of international crime. Gene Hackman returns as the resolute detective.
While the sequel doesn’t live up to the legacy of the originalTheFrench Connectionand its breakneck pace in the grittystreets of New York,The French Connection IIis still a tough, grimy, edge-of-your-seat thriller. John Frankenheimer took his modern sensibilities and the psychedelic milieu of the 70s to create an unnerving psychological experience inThe French Connection II.
Gene Hackman Goes Cold Turkey in a Painful Performance
Gene Hackman reprises his role as the tough-as-nails cop Popeye Doyle, but finds it hard to assimilate when he takes his penchant for rage to Marseilles. The performance and script see Hackman taken to the depths of hell as he battles the sadistic kingpin Carnier (Fernando Rey) and the expectations of the policemen who’re suspicious of his New York toughness. Hackman’s performance throughout his drug scenes is unforgettable.
‘Hoosiers’
Hoosiers is a sports drama film directed by David Anspaugh, starring Gene Hackman as a head coach who takes on the challenge of leading a small-town Indiana high school basketball team to the state championship. Set in the 1950s, the film follows the personal and professional struggles of the coach and his team, showcasing themes of redemption and perseverance.
Hoosiershas been essentially canonized as one ofthe all-time great sports movies. It helped build a blueprint that so many later films would retread, so it may feel structurally familiar, but great performances and good writing cement it as one of the best.
An All-Time Underdog Classic
Based on a classic true story of underdog glory, Hackman stars as the grizzled coach of a high school basketball team as they enter the state tournament; his approach is very different from what the small town expects, and his temper explodes at points, but everything comes together in one of the most famous endings in sports movie history.
‘Crimson Tide’
Crimson Tide
Only a director like the late Tony Scott could create such a dizzying, energetic, and rollicking film inside the confines of a submarine. With nuclear annihilation on the brink and war seemingly on the surface, a naval captain and a young officer fight for the loyalty of their crew before their fates are met.Crimson Tidesees two generational talents go to verbal war. Gene Hackman plays opposite Denzel Washington in the tightly crafted war-thriller. The two go to philosophical and moral war with each other before the attempted mutiny begins; Denzel pins Hackman as a trigger-happy military hack whose jingoism could put their lives in danger.
Performances Built on Pure Energy
Scott’s ability to move the camera at rapid speed while bouncing the verbal quips around like ricocheted bullets creates electrifying, physical performances from its two leads. The intensity of Hackman’s delivery is matched by the audacious approach of his director, constantly shifting the volume and stakes to their highest degree.
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Eureka is a 1983 film that delves into the life of an Alaskan gold prospector living in opulence with his family on a secluded island. His extravagant lifestyle becomes threatened as gangsters covet his wealth, leading to conflict and turmoil.
Nicolas Roeg’sEurekaunfolds in surreal, hyperbolic, and profound ways. Gene Hackman takes the lead as a gold prospector whose desires and fate align in seismic proportions. Churning through the snows of Alaska, he bargains more than his body to find the gold that will give him wealth for life.
An Interior Performance Defined by Capital
It’s a tricky performance as Hackman has to battle the rage of fending off a couple of gangsters — Mickey Rourke and Joe Pesci, a dynamic duo — and the greed and paranoia of his inner life. It is a performance that yields all the power of the universe as it feels like everyone in the film only exists in relation to his wealth. The film was a failure upon release, but worth checking out as it plays to all of Hackman’s strengths as an actor.
Heist is a crime thriller directed by David Mamet, featuring Gene Hackman as a seasoned thief who plans one last job after being double-crossed by his partner. The film also stars Rebecca Pidgeon, Danny DeVito, and Delroy Lindo, focusing on themes of betrayal, loyalty, and the complexities of executing a high-stakes robbery.
Gene Hackman was born to read David Mamet dialogue. The great screenwriter and playwright, known forGlengarry Glen RossandAmerican Buffalo, creates anxious men who attempt to quick-talk their way out of failure, and Hackman is perfect at it inHeist.
A Great Cast Spits Cool Dialogue
One of the most underrated crime thrillers of the last few decades, Hackman stars as a leader of thieves whose trouble only grows when he’s basically forced to pull another heist in order to get paid for the last one he botched. Hackman is phenomenal alongside Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Patti Lupone, and Sam Rockwell.
‘The Royal Tenenbaums’
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is a film directed by Wes Anderson, featuring an ensemble cast including Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, and Ben Stiller. The movie explores the estranged Tenenbaum family’s complex dynamics as they reunite in their New York City home. With each member facing personal struggles, they navigate the repercussions of their collective past while striving for reconciliation and redemption.
Wes Anderson is a director who often tells stories of dysfunctional families, but none got to the emotional core of its awful patriarch quite as Gene Hackman did as Royal Tenenbaum. A distant father whose years away created psychological damage is seen across the film through his large family. Hackman’s intense persona also bled through tension on the set ofThe Royal Tenenbaums, as numerous reports recounted Hackman borderline bullying Anderson and getting into many arguments.
Gene Hackman’s Last Great Movie
The dysfunction on-screen became palpable off it, but none more so than with son Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson) in one of Anderson’s most emotional set pieces to date, in a stunning slow-motion, blue-tinted shot where Richie attempts to take his own life. Even still, the portrayal of a father figure lacking self-awareness for the damage he caused his family was the glue somehow holding the large Anderson ensemble together. It’s a lived-in, funny, rascaly, and melancholic performance.
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‘The French Connection’
The French Connection
The French Connection is a 1971 crime thriller directed by William Friedkin. It stars Gene Hackman as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and Roy Scheider as his partner Buddy Russo. The film follows their efforts to dismantle a major heroin smuggling operation. Known for its gritty realism and intense action sequences, The French Connection received critical acclaim and won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hackman.
Aanti-hero cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle is a linchpin of the 1970s and earned Gene Hackman his first Oscar, just asFrench Connectionbecame a defining film of the decade and earned the Academy Award for Best Picture. Hackman’s intensity went head-to-head with newfound auteur William Freidkin’s renegade direction. The two formed a perfect alchemy that brought the gritty streets of New York to life.
The French Connectionis, in many ways, the first modern cop thriller, refusing traditional stylization in favor of a more cinema-vérité style that puts viewers in the audience seat. And literally, too, with one ofthe greatest car chases ever filmed. Having to handle the criminals and nasty gangster life,The French Connectionis an American classic.
‘Downhill Racer’
Downhill Racer
Downhill Racer, directed by Michael Ritchie, stars Robert Redford as an ambitious American skier determined to win Olympic gold. Set against the backdrop of competitive alpine skiing, the film explores the complexities of individual ambition, the pressures of competition, and personal relationships. Gene Hackman co-stars as the team’s coach, providing a stark contrast to Redford’s driven character. This 1969 drama delves into the high stakes and personal costs of pursuing athletic excellence.
One of the most unsungfilms of the Hollywood New Wave,Downhill Raceris a masterpiece of introspection and psychoanalysis. While Robert Redford deservedly gets most of the credit for his painfully complicated characterization of a skiing champion whose very soul has frozen over, Gene Hackman gives a perfect performance as well.
Mastering a Supporting Character
The film may be a character study of Redford’s David, but Hackman is incredible as an increasingly stressed coach having to continuously inspire, placate, and bullsh*t others while his own emotions tie in knots.
‘Superman’
Superman, directed by Richard Donner, stars Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent, an alien from the planet Krypton living on Earth who adopts the persona of Superman to protect humanity. Released in 1978, the film features Gene Hackman as the villain Lex Luthor, who creates a plan that threatens millions of lives. Margot Kidder co-stars as Lois Lane, a journalist at the Daily Planet and Clark Kent’s colleague.
The father of the modern superhero movie, 1978’sSupermanremains one of the most influential films of the genre while also standing tall as an all-American classic. Everyone knows the story, but this version of the tale brought together some of the best and most accessible work of numerous great artists.
The Iconic Lex Luthor
Just think about the names involved here. There’s the now-iconic John Williams score, the pitch-perfect characterization and physicality of Christopher Reeve, the entertaining and epic direction from Richard Donner, the purely cinematic images from2001: A Space Odysseycinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, and the excellent supporting cast (Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, Ned Beatty, Terence Stamp, Susannah York, Trevor Howard, Glenn Ford, and, of course, Gene Hackman as the infamous Lex Luthor. Hackman’s depiction is more grounded than most, almost like a ’70s swinger and a wealthy yuppie who is compelled to a pissing contest with the Man of Steel. He returned in the sequel and remains arguably the best Lex Luthor ever put to film.
