Category: Gene Hackman

Superman: Richard Donner’s dazzling, delightful & star-studded superhero epic set the template for comic-book adaptations

Superman (1978), directed by Richard Donner and starring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve as the eponymous 'Man of Steel,' was the first serious attempt at making a big budget studio feature film about a comic-book superhero, and it also remains one of the best. "This is no Fantasy" This is the first line … Continue reading Superman: Richard Donner’s dazzling, delightful & star-studded superhero epic set the template for comic-book adaptations →

Advertisement

The Quick and the Dead: Sam Raimi’s trippy homage to Sergio Leone Westerns has a great ensemble cast and style to burn

The Quick and the Dead(1995), directed by Sam Raimi and starring Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe and Leonardo Di Caprio, is an ultra-stylish Western inspired from Sergio Leone Westerns as well as characters from 'The Bible.' I guess Sam Raimi's recipe for "The Quick and the Dead" was as follows: dump all the Sergio … Continue reading The Quick and the Dead: Sam Raimi’s trippy homage to Sergio Leone Westerns has a great ensemble cast and style to burn →

French Connection II: Gene Hackman brilliantly reprises ‘Popeye’ Doyle in this terrific sequel that takes the iconic character in an interesting direction

French Connection II(1975) has Gene Hackman reprising the role of Popeye Doyle from the Oscar winning 1971 prequel, The French Connection. This film, directed by the great action film maestro, John Frankenheimer, is a more polished and melodramatic film which is not as viscerally powerful as the original, but expands on that film in interesting … Continue reading French Connection II: Gene Hackman brilliantly reprises ‘Popeye’ Doyle in this terrific sequel that takes the iconic character in an interesting direction →

No Way Out: Kevin Costner caught in a deadly ‘ménage à trois’ with Sean Young and Gene Hackman in this thrilling, Neo-Noir take on ‘The Big Clock’

No Way Out(1987) is director, Roger Donaldson's adaptation of Kenneth’s Fearing’s suspense novel, The Big Clock. The film set amidst the political intrigue of Washington features Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young and Will Patton in pivotal roles I love movies which has unique opening sequences; i love movies which sets up its plot economically and … Continue reading No Way Out: Kevin Costner caught in a deadly ‘ménage à trois’ with Sean Young and Gene Hackman in this thrilling, Neo-Noir take on ‘The Big Clock’ →

The French Connection: Gene Hackman’s dynamic, star-making performance powers William Friedkin’s avant-garde Policier

The French Connection(1971), starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider and Fernando Rey, and directed by William Friedkin from Robin Moore's book, is a brilliant cop thriller set in New York city, which pushed the boundaries of mainstream filmmaking. In the 1960s, two New York cops, Eddie Eagan and Sonny Grosso, busted a cocaine shipment worth $32 … Continue reading The French Connection: Gene Hackman’s dynamic, star-making performance powers William Friedkin’s avant-garde Policier →

Bite the Bullet: Gene Hackman heads up an all-star cast in this underrated, highly entertaining, high-spirited Western adventure

Bite the Bullet(1975), written and directed by veteran Richard Brooks, is the last of the magnificent old-fashioned westerns. It eschews traditional cowboys and Indians narrative to delve deep into the relationship between man and his horse and man and the western wilderness to create an exhilarating adventure story. "In 1906, a newspaper promotes a 700 … Continue reading Bite the Bullet: Gene Hackman heads up an all-star cast in this underrated, highly entertaining, high-spirited Western adventure →

Prime Cut: Lee Marvin takes on Gene Hackman in this lurid, satirical gangster thriller that epitomizes the eccentricity of 1970s cinema

Lee Marvin has done some of the weirdest and wildest movies of his time, but nothing comes close to Prime Cut(1972). At first glance, the film, directed by Michael Ritchie and co-starring Gene Hackman, appears to be just a typical Lee Marvin 'tough guy' action thriller, but the film is layered with some truly dark … Continue reading Prime Cut: Lee Marvin takes on Gene Hackman in this lurid, satirical gangster thriller that epitomizes the eccentricity of 1970s cinema →