Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman died mysteriously in his New Mexico home. He was 95. His young wife lay dead in another room for two weeks before Hackman passed. He apparently had dementia so badly he didn’t realize she was gone. I knew writing about his movie career would be a challenge- because there’s an overload of riches. I have a list of over 30 movies that were good enough to include. Alas, some serious culling is in order.

I’ll start with his first Oscar nomination, as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Warren Beatty is Clyde Barrow, Faye Dunaway is Bonnie Parker, and Gene Hackman is Clyde’s older brother, Buck. They form a criminal gang, robbing places and escalating to banks. Then Clyde murders a bank manager and the hunt for the now-famous gang is on. Buck wasn’t much of a moral influence for his younger brother, throwing in with the gang and including his wife Blanche. The realistic shoot-out that ends the movie was not prettied up and shocked many. BTW, Gene lost to George Kennedy for Cool Hand Luke.

In Downhill Racer (1969) Robert Redford is David Chappellet, the hot dogging show-off ski racer whose antics drive his coach, Eugene Claire (Gene Hackman) nuts. David will not listen to Claire and refuses to be a team player. The trouble is, he’s really good and skiing isn’t exactly a team sport. So the egotistical David wins the Olympic Gold Medal and leaves the nay-sayers in the dust (snow?)

Gene Hackman snagged another Oscar nomination as Gene Garrison in I Never Sang For My Father (1970). This time he lost to John Mills for Ryan’s Daughter. Gene has long running troubles with his father (Melvyn Douglas) but as the father’s health declines, they seem to be coming together. No happy ending here as Gene decides to follow his fiancé to California and leave his Dad on his own. It’s a difficult part but Hackman nails it.

The father of all car chase movies is still thrilling. Gene Hackman played narcotics cop Popeye Doyle in The French Connection (1971). Popeye pursues drug runner Pierre Nicoli and keeps going when the thug jumps a train and comandeers the whole thing. He also kills the conductor. Popeye keeps coming and catches up with Nicoli and kills him. He also kills a Federal colleague by mistake. Alan Charnier (Fernando Rey), the French master criminal in charge of all the drug dealing, manages to escape. The rest or his gang in America is caught and imprisoned. Popeye is distraught that Charnier got away. The third time was the charm for Gene Hackman. This time he won the Oscar for his portrayal of Doyle. 

Never inclined to leave well enough alone, Hollywood made French Connection 2 (1975). Popeye is somehow sent to France to get Charnier. He does poorly as a foreign cop and winds up being captured and shot up with heroin by Charnier’s men. He recovers from the forced addiction and stays after Charnier. And this time he gets him.

All of the movies in this article are available somewhere. All are for adults. Think I’m through with Hackman? Shoot, I’m just getting started!