Ticket 2 Ride

Gene Hackman mostly disappeared from the public stage to live a secluded life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after a long film career. He retired twenty years ago from acting with little fanfare, moving on to writing, art and other interests.

Gene Hackman the actor, is rather an enigma, at least to me. As a character actor he broke through to become a rather non-traditional leading man in films. He was a cowboy, a soldier, police detective, a conman, a hermit, a slimy show biz agent, an opportunist politician, a spy, and many other roles.

He could play any type of role, but seemed to doubt comedy was a good fit. Barry Sonnenfeld directed him in Get Shorty and said it was not an easy shoot. Hackman doubted himself, his performance and his director. He was intense and a challenge, as others have said about working with him. Yet, no one doubted his work or his craft, even when he might have struggled with the role or film. Hackman had hits, and some duds. According to his friend musician Joe Walsh, at times he took films for the money, or for the work when his career hit a slow period. “From the 1970s to the mid-’80s after The French Connection, I did four or five films in a row that were not successful commercially,” Hackman revealed in multiple interviews.

“I was six, seven million bucks in debt; I had spent too much and I had a lot of tax shelters that didn’t work. I owed the government four million dollars. I was just barely hanging in, taking pretty much anything that was offered to me and trying to make it work,” Hackman told Cigar Aficionado in 2000.

Back to the question of comedy. Prior to Get Shorty, Hackman had appeared in numerous comedies, but always played the straight man. In Young Frankenstein, Hackman had a small role as a blind man who tries to befriend the monster. Hackman was wonderful in that film.

In 1981, he co-starred with Barbra Streisand in something called All Night Long, allegedly a comedy, but more footnote in his career. His portrayal of Lex Luther in the Superman films certainly had a comedic overtone, as well as Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), Postcards From the Edge (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Heartbreakers (2001), The Royal Tannenbaums (2001) and Welcome to Mooseport (2004). This is quite a mixed bag. At one end is Get Shorty (1995) and at the other end is the abysmal Loose Cannons (1990). Hackman could play comedy, he just didn’t always choose good films.

My 10 favorite Hackman performances. These are not necessarily his best or most successful films, and I didn’t include one of his most acclaimed roles. These are just my favorites. Not in any order.

Mississippi Burning (1988) – Maybe his best role as a former Southern sheriff now an FBI agent in the Deep South trying to find three missing civil rights workers. A complicated performance in a powerful film.

The French Connection (1971) – Popeye Doyle has a lot of flaws, but he is like a dog with a bone pursuing suspected drug traffickers. Won an Academy Award for this role.

The Quick and the Dead (1995) – Admittedly, Hackman chews the scenery here, but his town boss character is ruthless and fun to watch.

Night Moves (1975) – Harry Moseby is a private detective, who is struggling in both his career and life. A simple case of locating a runaway turns into something deadly and personal.

The Firm (1993) – A supporting role in a big film, but his performance went way beyond his screen time. What I like about this role was the vulnerability he displayed, and how resigned he was to his fate.

The Package (1989) – A staff sergeant assigned to escort a prisoner, winds up unraveling a plot to assassinate a Soviet leader to keep the Cold War cold.

The Conversation (1974) – An unattractive character, who comes apart at the seems when he stumbles onto something much greater than he realizes.

Bite the Bullet (1975) – An earnest cowboy in a long distance horse race, Hackman’s character is solid and righteous. The choice between right and wrong is an easy one.

Hoosiers (1986) – A role that showed grit. The flashier role went to Dennis Hopper, who revitalized his career. Hackman had a quieter performance that kept the attention on the story.

Young Frankenstein (1974) – In a film of terrific performances, Hackman was marvelous. He didn’t try to be funny, he just was.