Why ‘The Package’ Is Gene Hackman’s Most Underrated Thriller You Need to Watch!

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As a dedicated movie enthusiast, I can’t help but marvel at the unstoppable pace of the legendary Gene Hackman throughout his acting journey. However, it was during the late 1980s that he truly outdid himself, with a remarkable five films gracing the silver screen in a single year – 1988 to be precise. Regardless of whether these roles were in critically acclaimed films like the gripping 1987 thriller “No Way Out” or less-admired ones such as “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”, Gene seemed unfazed. Reflecting on his career, he admitted that this relentless work schedule was a reflection of his solitude.

In the 1989 political action thriller movie titled “The Package“, Gene Hackman delivers an often overlooked remarkable performance as Johnny Gallagher, a Green Beret sergeant. His mission is to escort a disgraced sergeant, portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones, from West Berlin to the U.S. for a court-martial trial. However, when the prisoner breaks free from his watch, Gallagher unwittingly uncovers a sinister plot that could potentially ignite World War III.

“The Package” was one of the final Cold War thriller movies to come out before the Soviet Union disbanded in 1991. In terms of Hackman’s acting history, “The Package” is notable for his collaboration with a younger Jones, whose captivating portrayal in the film encapsulates the ambiguity, unnerving clarity, and raw emotional sincerity that characterizes Hackman’s career.

‘The Package’ Is an Elaborate Political Action Thriller

In The Package, unlike many political assassination thrillers that zero in on the bond between assassin and target, the climactic showdown is preceded by a complex series of events where nothing is as it first seems. The storyline in The Package unfolds at a chalet in West Berlin, where a powerful alliance of American and Soviet generals devise a plot to undermine an imminent mutual nuclear disarmament agreement between their countries. They believe that maintaining nuclear deterrence is crucial for averting World War III.

At the beginning of the movie, a U.S general opposed to the current administration is killed outside a chalet. Later, Sergeant Johnny Gallagher, portrayed by Gene Hackman, has a gunfight with the assassins at the chalet and is accused of letting them escape from the security perimeter. As a result, he’s given a tough assignment – to escort Walter Henke, played by Tommy Lee Jones, back to the U.S for a military trial. But while in transit at an airport, Gallagher is ambushed by covert agents who help Henke escape. Henke then heads to Chicago, where negotiations for a nuclear disarmament treaty are scheduled to take place.

After finding out that Henke is secretly Thomas Boyette, a covert operative, Gallagher suspects that Boyette has come to Chicago for a political assassination. Yet, it’s not until the movie’s climactic moment when the true target or targets in The Package become clear, and the unveiling of the complex conspiracy plot leaves a chilling sense of logic and reasonableness.

Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones Are Excellent in ‘The Package’

In “The Package,” Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones share the screen for the first and only time. Interestingly, both actors worked again with director Andrew Davis in the 1993 action-thriller movie “The Fugitive,” where Jones earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In this film, Hackman and Jones convey their communication primarily through their expressive eyes, as they portray two longtime soldiers who have accepted their roles as disposable components within the unyielding military-industrial machinery, revealing a somber situation that has been their shared fate.

When Hackman retired from acting in 2004, Jones took over as perhaps the most outstanding communicator among active actors, and he also inherited Hackman’s remarkable knack for making good movies even better and surviving poor ones. With the news of Hackman’s death at 95, followed by Clint Eastwood’s potential retirement, Jones, at 78 years old, is now considered the last of a dwindling group of exceptional actors.

Roger Ebert Liked ‘The Package’

In Gene Hackman’s career, the 1989 movie “The Package” was released, a film that was later followed by the poorly received 1990 comedy “Loose Cannons.” This might be considered one of his least successful films. Before “The Package,” there was the 1988 crime thriller “Mississippi Burning,” for which Hackman earned his fourth Academy Award nomination. At the time it hit theaters, “The Package” – which made around $10.6 million in the U.S. – was criticized as an outdated relic from the waning Cold War era and a lackluster addition to his filmography. However, at that time, renowned critic Roger Ebert stood as one of the most notable supporters of “The Package.” In his three-star review, Ebert commended the movie’s intricate plot structure and Hackman’s powerful acting performance.

Reading The Package is similar to unraveling a complex mystery novel where you might find yourself going back and forth between chapters, trying to catch missed details. However, upon rechecking, you’ll realize that there were no overlooked elements. The plot twists are so skillfully interwoven that it seems as if there must be some unresolved threads. But, in the end, when you reflect on the events, you’ll understand how every piece of the puzzle neatly fits into place. Unraveling this intricate conspiracy is one of the story’s delightful aspects.

The Package is streaming for free on Tubi.

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2025-03-08 22:37