Gene Hackman

                                             Part 5 (enough already!)

Well, it had to end sometime. This is the last article about the late great Gene Hackman’s movies. I could have squeezed a couple more, but enough is enough!

John Grisham’s legal thrillers are always best sellers and also good film material. Gene has been picked to star in three of these. The first one, The Firm (1993) is one of the best. Tom Cruise is Mitch McDeere, a top Harvard Law School grad who signs up with the small, powerful Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke. Gene Hackman is senior partner Avery Tolar, who mentors Mitch and tries to keep him inside the rails. Mitch discovers the firm’s major work is laundering mob money, and that it has been involved in nefarious doings including murder. He rebels. They come after him.

The Chamber (1996) is lesser Grisham and a lesser film. But Gene Hackman carries the water as a convicted Klan member whose grandson tries to redeem him. 

In The Runaway Jury (2003) Gene is a highly paid jury consultant who is actually a jury fixer. When one of his juries turns up a couple who are for sale to the highest bidder, the fun begins. 

Gene Hackman is the title figure in The Royal Tennenbaums (2001), playing the father of three extremely gifted children whose exploits as young adults are splendid. But when Dad leaves the family, things go from good to awful fairly quickly. Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson portray the children. Their struggles and disappointments pepper the story. When Royal decides to return and reunite everyone just like old times, it’s not just like old times. This quirky film is an acquired taste, but there’s no doubt about Hackman’s portrayal. 

Crimson Tide (1994) a suspenser based on Tom Clancy’s novel, stars Gene Hackman as Captain Frank Ramsey, and Denzel Washington as Lt. Commander Ron Hunter. A Soviet submarine has broken away from the Kremlin leadership and is headed for the U.S. Ramsey wants Hunter’s sub, the Alabama, to act aggressively toward the perceived enemy. Hunter counsels patience, fearful of starting World War III. As the subs draw closer toward each other, the tension mounts. The ending is a good one you won’t find here. 

Get Shorty (1995) is very loosely based on Elmore Leonard’s crimedy and is lots of fun. John Travolta portrays Chili Palmer, a Miami gangster sent to Hollywood to collect a bad debt from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a producer who specializes in dreadful horror movies. Enchanted by the sparkly people and surroundings, Chilli discovers that Hollywood isn’t very different from the mob. Hackman is just right as the smarmy Zimm.

This is good-bye to Gene Hackman. All these movies are available somewhere. All are for adults.