Critic’s Appreciation: Gene Hackman, a Tough Guy With Infinite Nuance and Boundless Range

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In Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film, The Conversation, there’s a poignant moment when Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman as a solitary surveillance expert, visits his mistress Amy, portrayed with deep sensitivity by Teri Garr. It’s on the eve of his birthday, and he’s so late that she’s about to stop waiting for him.

She playfully queries about his age, followed by a series of casual inquiries – such as where he resides, whether he lives alone, and what he does – which seem to hint at her limited knowledge of the man she’s been dating for an undefined period, despite apparently having feelings for him.

We sense Amy’s eagerness to learn about him, much like we pick up on Harry’s discomfort and unease as she delicately probes him for details. “I don’t want to answer any more questions,” he mumbles, heading towards the apartment door and pulling out cash for her rent. Hackman is partly obscured by darkness, standing in contrast against the hallway light, when Amy says, “Harry, I was thrilled when you arrived tonight. When I heard you open the door, my toes were tapping under the blankets. But I don’t think I’ll wait for you anymore.

For just a fleeting instant, Harry seems to contemplate staying by partially shutting the door. Yet, rather than going back to Amy in bed, he pushes it open again and resolutely strides out into the corridor, locking the door behind him, effectively ending their relationship. One of the reasons this quiet moment of sorrow resonates so profoundly is due to Hackman’s expressive body language. Without uttering a word, the actor conveys Harry’s feelings for Amy through his slightly drooping head and the visible weight of regret on his shoulders, suggesting that he cherishes her deeply but cannot risk becoming too emotionally involved.

Legendary actor Karl Hackman, who passed away at the age of 95 on Wednesday in his New Mexico residence, was an exceptionally versatile performer, frequently stereotyped as a rugged tough guy with intellectual prowess. However, he is primarily remembered for iconic roles such as the ruthless, unrepentant bigoted New York narcotics detective with the pork pie hat, Popeye Doyle, from William Friedkin’s gritty drug-enforcement thriller, “The French Connection.” Another memorable role was the cruel and twisted sheriff, “Little Bill” Daggett, in Clint Eastwood’s reinterpretation of the Western genre, “Unforgiven.” Both films garnered Hackman Academy Awards.

Although Hackman appeared gruff and powerful in his tall 6’2″ frame, he was far more complex than a thinking person’s Charles Bronson or the edgier Steve McQueen. From the very beginning, as Hackman built an on-screen presence that exuded steely authority and irreverent wit, he also started to challenge this image with unanticipated decisions.

As a gamer, nothing shaped my rise quite like slipping into the boots of Buck Barrow in Arthur Penn’s groundbreaking game “Bonnie and Clyde.” Playing the easygoing, ex-con older brother of gang leader Clyde Barrow, I was always there to lighten the mood with my corny humor, easing the tension within our group. But when Buck met his end, it served as a chilling reminder that time was running out for Bonnie and Clyde as they hurtled towards their grisly finale.

In the movie “Scarecrow,” directed by Jerry Schatzberg, Gene Hackman played an ex-convict with a quick temper, traveling alongside Al Pacino from California. Their half-baked plan was to establish a car wash in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, in the film “Night Moves” by Penn, Hackman took on the role of a former professional football player turned private investigator in Los Angeles. He found himself entangled in a family affair that grew increasingly complex and ominous.

Movies that blended genres, such as The French Connection and The Conversation, were strongly associated with the first half of the 1970s, a period marked by growing mistrust towards institutions and political cynicism. This era peaked with the Watergate scandal. These films solidified Hackman’s reputation as a serious screen actor, yet even as he was shaping the role of a unique Hollywood antihero, Hackman resisted being pigeonholed into any specific character type.

It’s worth noting that, following Friedkin’s groundbreaking cop thriller and its sequel, Hackman unexpectedly appeared in Mel Brooks’ humorous horror parody, Young Frankenstein. His role was a solitary, blind hermit who offered shelter to the escaped monster in his simple abode, sharing a bowl of soup and some company. “Hold on! Where are you heading?” he called out as the creature departed, having spilled boiling soup on him and burnt himself with a candle while lighting a cigar. “I was about to prepare espresso.

Hackman never joked around when it came to his work, yet he maintained a lighthearted approach to himself. This is evident in his portrayal of the shady B-movie director with a gambling problem, Harry Zimm, in Barry Sonnenfeld’s “Get Shorty”; his delightfully wicked and unparalleled interpretation of the arch-villain Lex Luthor in the Christopher Reeve “Superman” films; or his role as the self-righteous politician advocating for family values, Senator Keeley, in “The Birdcage”.

In the end, their boisterous drag performance managed an astonishing stunt – transforming Hackman into a character wearing a large meringue-like wig, heavy industrial makeup, and a glittery wedding gown for a discreet departure from a bustling Miami gay bar filled with reporters. As he was dragged along, the traditional senator grumbled to his daughter while half-heartedly joining in on “We Are Family”: “Nobody wants to dance with me. I think it’s this dress. I warned him that white would make me look plump.

As a gamer, I can’t help but marvel at how Mike Nichols, with his unique directorial touch, managed to draw out of Hackman a performance so unexpectedly contrasting with his usual on-screen persona in the film “Postcards From the Edge“. Previously, he had cast Hackman as the caring and stern film director who scolds Meryl Streep’s troubled actress character, Suzanne Vale, when she disrupts production. Yet, later in the story, he reveals a tender and supportive side at a critical moment when Suzanne truly needed it.

Hackman typically took on grittier roles, but his versatility as an actor was clear when he stepped outside of these norms to avoid being stereotyped. While many film enthusiasts might associate him with intense characters like the FBI agent pursuing murderous Klansmen in “Mississippi Burning,” the political journalist in Roger Spottiswoode’s thriller “Under Fire,” the corrupt Old West mayor in Sam Raimi’s “The Quick and the Dead,” or the U.S. Navy submarine commander in Tony Scott’s “Crimson Tide,” he also demonstrated his range by accepting roles that were less expected.

Instead of sticking to the conventional Hackman classics, I’d opt for less expected movies if I were creating a double feature in tribute to one of the greats. One could be an over-the-top, star-studded action movie that harks back to the big-budget Hollywood era, while the other might be a quirky, offbeat production from later in his career, made only three years before he retired from acting permanently.

Reminiscing about poorly made films from our youth can make us cherish them more. People who grew up in the ’90s might fondly remember “Hocus Pocus”, much like how ’80s kids have an unusual fondness for John Huston’s version of “Annie”.

One of my longstanding, somewhat shameful indulgences that I still can’t resist whenever I see it on a streaming service, is the movie “The Poseidon Adventure“. Despite its overblown action and spectacle, and being more of a pre-packaged disaster flick than one skillfully crafted, it holds a special allure for me. As a kid who grew up in Catholic school, I found the sexual tension between Hackman’s minister, Reverend Frank Scott, and Stella Stevens’ character, Linda Rogo – once a sex worker with a colorful vocabulary – to be incredibly intriguing and slightly subversive, given my naïve perspective on priests.

This man was deeply spiritual and undeniably masculine, serving as an instinctive leader among his band of survivalists, who he cared for intensely. Each loss they suffered wore away at his faith. For me, watching “The Poseidon Adventure” was a significant milestone in my movie-watching journey since it was the first time my parents permitted me to view an “R-rated” film. In retrospect, I consider Hackman as the unofficial captain of that capsized vessel.

Another movie is Wes Anderson’s comedic and emotionally impactful depiction of a troubled family of prodigies, titled “The Royal Tenenbaums.” During a 10th anniversary screening at the 2011 New York Film Festival, Anderson and key cast members Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, and Gwyneth Paltrow playfully joked about Dustin Hoffman’s grumpiness during filming.

As a gamer, stepping into the role of an actor for a moment, let me share my feelings when filming our first scene together – a nerve-wracking encounter that involved me slapping her. “I could see the impression of my hand on his cheek and thought, he’s going to retaliate.” Murray, my co-star, would often hear tales like, “Gene almost ended me today.” And I’d respond, “End me? He can’t, we’re both in the union.

Regardless of his on-set demeanor, Hackman’s portrayal is among his finest – it’s brilliant, perplexed, and overflowing with affection for his fictional family, despite his real-life challenges in being consistently present for them. The actor masterfully captures Anderson’s unique mindset, a comedic tone that straddles the line between J.D. Salinger and a New Yorker cartoon.

Hackman delivers one of his best performances despite any mood he was in during filming – it’s brilliant, puzzled, and brimming with love for his on-screen family, despite his personal struggles to be a reliable figure in their lives off-set. The actor skillfully channels Anderson’s peculiar sense of humor, a comical vibe that blends the tone of J.D. Salinger and a New Yorker cartoon.

Towards the end, there’s a heartwarming instance where Grandpa Royal rescues his grandkids from a car accident caused by their neighbor (Owen Wilson), who was under the influence of mescaline. The scene that ensues, depicting this far-from-perfect family patriarch hanging onto the side of a garbage truck with his son (Ben Stiller) and grandsons, all filled with joy, is an image I’ll remember when I think about Hackman.

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2025-02-28 08:25