Is Gene Hackman the GOAT A-hole bad guy in cinema?

He, Connery, and Moranis need to return to the big sceen
 
I searched to see if this thread had been done before, glad it has not. I did see @Cheese made a thread in 2013 about Hackman being overlooked in general. This is more about his bad guy roles. He isn't a crazy villain, but he often plays a power hungry and/or just all around douche bag, top dog, bad guy.

I been watching a number of movies lately, and coincidentally a few had him as the bad guy. Crimson Tide, The Quick and the Dead, and Runaway Jury.

I have also seen him in Unforgiven, The Firm, and Absolute Power, and Antz.

I don't really like the movie, but he is also the "bad guy" in the Royal Tenenbaums, which he did play very well.

I am sure there are other crucial roles I am forgetting. He is one of the GOAT actors in general, but I am only now appreciating him as the GOAT asshole.

edit: What are some other good roles of him as a bad guy? And who compares?!

edit 2 for further discussion: Someone like Robert De Niro plays similar roles, but I feel he is not nearly as good, tho still good himself.

No love for Mitchum?
Night of the hunter?.....Cape fear?.....anybody?
 
No love for Mitchum?
Night of the hunter?.....Cape fear?.....anybody?

I do like Night of the Hunter quite a bit. I actually was discussing that very movie in the boxing forum just 2 weeks ago. @Hagler has Mitchum as his avatar. But that is more of a murderous, insane villain, where as Hackman plays just an asshole bad guy.
 
I would recommend watching Under Suspicion. An underrated movie IMHO. It stars Hackman as well as Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane and the prime GOAT Monica Bellucci (a lot of gif worthy moments from that one, some of which have made it into her prime threads, some of which can't be shown here). It was towards the end of his career, but isn't as well known as his other roles from the era. Even if you don't think it's a particularly great movie, his performance is outstanding and I love the interplay between him and Freeman.

Nice, added it to the list and going to watch it this week or next.
 
Gene Hackman may be an asshole -- and in real life too, according to his TENENBAUMS co-stars -- but he's usually got a reason to his antagonism. They guys I consider cinema's best assholes?

9609939.gif

9280896_tml1.jpg

image-w240.jpg

harvey-keitel-9542059-1-402.jpg

peter-greene-21209907-1-402.jpg

FOR NO REASON!!!! THEY'RE JUST JERKS BIGTIME!!
 
Gene Hackman may be an asshole -- and in real life too, according to his TENENBAUMS co-stars -- but he's usually got a reason to his antagonism. They guys I consider cinema's best assholes?

9609939.gif

9280896_tml1.jpg

image-w240.jpg

harvey-keitel-9542059-1-402.jpg

peter-greene-21209907-1-402.jpg

FOR NO REASON!!!! THEY'RE JUST JERKS BIGTIME!!
Hahahahaha
 
Even though he plays so many "bad guys", he's the coach in Hoosiers and Popeye Doyle damnit! I can't just view him as a villian.
 
I searched to see if this thread had been done before, glad it has not. I did see @Cheese made a thread in 2013 about Hackman being overlooked in general. This is more about his bad guy roles. He isn't a crazy villain, but he often plays a power hungry and/or just all around douche bag, top dog, bad guy.

I been watching a number of movies lately, and coincidentally a few had him as the bad guy. Crimson Tide, The Quick and the Dead, and Runaway Jury.

I have also seen him in Unforgiven, The Firm, and Absolute Power, and Antz.

I don't really like the movie, but he is also the "bad guy" in the Royal Tenenbaums, which he did play very well.

I am sure there are other crucial roles I am forgetting. He is one of the GOAT actors in general, but I am only now appreciating him as the GOAT asshole.

edit: What are some other good roles of him as a bad guy? And who compares?!

edit 2 for further discussion: Someone like Robert De Niro plays similar roles, but I feel he is not nearly as good, tho still good himself.

No. There are too many better ones to count.
 
Definitely one of the all-time greats in that type of role (and good in other types as well).

Acknowledgment to the works of Gary Busey, J.T. Walsh, John Heard, Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Robert Loggia, Brian Dennehy, Joe Pantoliano, James Gandolfini, Robert Shaw, Donald Sutherland and Harlan Ellison.
 
Ive always thought that him and Denzel Washington are the best actors when it comes to yelling at people.
 
Ive always thought that him and Denzel Washington are the best actors when it comes to yelling at people.

Yeah but this is the Predator handshake of yelling.

giphy.gif
 
Agreed
Quick and the dead was just fun enjoyable tosh but in it his speech to sharon stones character about his father really fucking rockedp
 
Agreed
Quick and the dead was just fun enjoyable tosh but in it his speech to sharon stones character about his father really fucking rockedp

Plus they let Sven Thorsen actually talk.
 
Even in the French Connection he was a prick and he was the lead actor in that movie. But he is a very likable prick,even in his villain role. Part of me wanted Little Bill to get away in Unforgiven. He was buildin a house!
 
No mention of Extreme Measures? He was a great good bad guy in that movie.
 
I'm amazed no one has said Jack. He deserves every ounce of praise. He may be a one-hit wonder, but he's the goddamn James Dean of villains for cinematic history:

4adf8a0d-0382-4354-9880-aeed9fea6d30.png


Shame on you, @HereticBD
 
Back
Top