Gene Hackman's 10 most underrated films: from Scarecrow to Runaway Jury

Academy Award-winning actor, who has died aged 95, made scores of movies in a career that spanned five decades

Gene Hackman and Al Pacino on the set of the Warner Bros movie Scarecrow in 1973. Getty Images

American actor Gene Hackman died aged 95 on Wednesday and although he had not appeared in a film for more than 20 years, he leaves an impressive legacy.

Hackman was one of the best actors to emerge from the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s, and became one of the medium's greatest, elevating anything he appeared in. He was utterly unique, and able to make the ugliest aspects of the worst people still feel deeply human. Few can manage to be both repulsive and engaging like he could, criss-crossing between hero and villain with aplomb and expert precision.

While his Oscar-winning performances in The French Connection and Unforgiven are rightfully well regarded, and his turns in popular films such as Superman: The Movie, The Conversation, Hoosiers and Crimson Tide are admired, some films in his five-decade career remain underappreciated.

Here are 10 of Gene Hackman's most underrated roles:

Scarecrow (1973)

The 1970s were so rich for cinema that somehow an excellent road movie starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino that won top prize at the Cannes Film Festival remains one that most people are not aware of. If you have not seen Scarecrow, fix that immediately. It is a bit Of Mice and Men and a bit Easy Rider, with Hackman at his most short-fused. It will surprise you.

Night Moves (1975)

While the reputation of Arthur Penn’s Night Moves is rising, with a deluxe new Criterion Collection 4K Blu-ray release set for March, this still remains one of his most overlooked masterworks. In it, Hackman plays a troubled detective in truly haunting fashion. It is bleak, sure, but it is riveting.

Eureka (1983)

Of all the films on this list, Eureka may be the one in most desperate need of a re-evaluation. Directed by Nicholas Roeg (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don’t Look Now), this psychological drama finds Hackman exploring the poisoning effect of great wealth. Loosely based on the unsolved murder of Harry Oakes, the film follows Hackman as a gold prospector who becomes one of the world’s wealthiest men, only to live in fear that those in his orbit may prey upon him.

No Way Out (1987)

Australian director Roger Donaldson might be better known for Thirteen Days and Dante’s Peak, but in 1987 he directed the breathtaking thriller No Way Out. A remake of 1948’s The Big Clock starring Ray Milland and Charles Laughton, No Way Out had equally impressive leads in Kevin Costner and Hackman.

Hackman excelled when he played a character who was in, or around, the military. Here he portrays the secretary of defence who accidentally murders his mistress while Costner attempts to uncover the truth. The film’s nail-biting ending takes place in the Pentagon building, creating a very tense game of cat and mouse.

Narrow Margin (1990)

For a period in the 1980s and 1990s, filmgoers could usually rely on there being an exciting mid-budget thriller to enjoy. If that film starred Hackman, then all the better. Directed by Peter Hyams, Narrow Margin is about an important witness who needs to be moved from Canada to the US to give incriminating statements at a trial.

This transfer is not made smooth because the witness has evidence against a crime lord who has sent goons to take her out. Hackman plays the US Marshal transporting the witness and protecting her life. Fans of action films on trains should not miss this one.

Extreme Measures (1996)

Hugh Grant is famous for being a romcom actor, the handsome love interest who stumbles over his words and acts goofy. This persona was utilised in a different way when he appeared alongside Hackman in Extreme Measures.

They portray two doctors working in the same hospital. Hackman, the older and more decorated of the two, is respected by all. That is until Grant’s young doctor uncovers a conspiracy that involves Hackman’s character. The film also stars Sarah Jessica Parker and is directed by Michael Apted.

Enemy of the State (1998)

Hackman was not only able to create unforgettable, layered characters such as those in The French Connection and The Conversation, he could also add new layers when revisiting them. French Connection II is worthy of a spot on this list, but conspiracy thriller Enemy of the State is a great film hiding in plain sight, taken for granted like much of blockbuster director Tony Scott’s oeuvre. This is very much a play on Hackman's character in The Conversation (though not a strict continuation). Here, he is no longer a confused soul tortured by existential indecision, but is instead a paranoid bodhisattva.

Heartbreakers (2001)

Hackman was an irreplaceable performer, and his loss is felt keenly not just in tour de force dramatic roles, but in character parts, particularly in comedies. In Heartbreakers, a con artist comedy led by Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sigourney Weaver, he once again shows his ability to embody a particular flavour of wealthy American sleaze, a type he was able to make both repellent and relatable.

Heist (2001)

Making a good heist film is not an easy task. Many try but few can really be called great. David Mamet, writer of the play Glengarry Glen Ross, wrote and directed Heist. The film features a cast of characters that gel together to create an often tense, sometimes funny caper.

Hackman plays the leader of a group of professional thieves who want to carry out one final job before retiring. Their target is Danny DeVito’s character and his ill-gotten wealth. The film has enjoyable sequences as the gang execute their plan, but becomes unforgettable in its dialogue scenes as Hackman gives Mamet's words an air of class and sophistication.

Runaway Jury (2003)

One of Hackman’s strengths was his ability to stand out even when surrounded by a strong cast. This is evident in films such as The Royal Tenenbaums, but Runaway Jury, a legal drama peppered with action sequences, is a more traditional example.

Alongside Hackman, the film stars John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman and Jeremy Piven. Runaway Jury is about a court case involving a suit against a firearms manufacturer. On one side are Cusack and Weisz who claim they can sway the decision of the jury, on the other is Hackman, who was hired by the gun company to blackmail the jury into making a decision favourable to them.