The Essentials: The Best Gene Hackman Villains [Podcast]

Gene Hackman is one of the best actors of the 20th century — full stop. And his seemingly abrupt retirement in 2004 has allowed him to be canonized differently and earlier than fellow New Hollywood icons (read: De Niro and Pacino) who simply keep dressing up in schlockier versions of once-great roles. So while Gene is off in New Mexico zipping around on his e-bike, we celebrate his 89th birthday on January 30 in this episode of the Be Reel Podcast by looking at three of his most memorable villain/antagonist roles: “Superman: The Movie” (1978), “Unforgiven” (1992) and “The Firm” (1993).

Lest we not also talk about his spine-tingling and charming antagonists in films like “Crimson Tide” and “The Royal Tenenbaums,” Chance and Noah start out today’s show rattling off their favorite “Mean Gene” moments. Whether he plays a murderous president, a ruthless land baron, or a beleaguered football coach, Hackman made a career out of mining nuance from men who were perhaps more violent inside than out.

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And for all the wide stances and gruff dressings down, Hackman never seemed to play bad for persona’s sake, so much so that he nearly turned down Wes Anderson’s “Tenenbaums” because he didn’t want a part specifically written for him. (Good thing for film-goers he changed his mind.)

In focusing deeper on Lex Luthor, Little Bill Daggett, and Avery Tolar today, we unpack how Hackman approaches a role, where and why he goes for camp, what directors can and cannot bring out of him, and the minor rebellions he’s allowed when fleshing out his characters. And, of course, using our two-tiered rating system, we discuss whether these the surrounding films hold up compared to Hackman’s larger legacy.

So happy 89, Gene. It’s unlikely you know what a podcast is, but everyone else can listen below.