Gene Hackman was a legend, an actors actor, an Oscar winner, and much more. He passed away in February of this year and left a lasting legacy and nearly 80 movies to his name.

We all know the Hack Man (you can use that if you want) and his classic characters in classic movies – Popeye Doyle in French Connection, Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers, and Anderson in Mississippi Burning.

For the purpose of this post I want to discuss and recommend 3 of his finest yet not so well known movies that showcase his immense talent.

The Conversation was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, stars Mr. Hackman as well as John Cazale (Fredo from Godfather 1 and 2), and an early role for Harrison Ford and was released in April, 1974. The movie also received 3 academy award nominations – Best Picture, Screenplay, and Sound – but won none.

The Conversation often gets lost when discussed in great films and I believe this is due to the fact that it is the film sandwiched between Godfather 1 and 2, two of the finest films ever made by Coppola. It may have been lost but true cinephiles have not forgotten.

Hackman plays Henry Caul (how do they come up with such cool names?) a surveillance expert who is haunted by a job he did that resulted in the murder of 3 innocent people so when he is tasked by a new client with surveilling a young couple suspected of infidelity played by Cindy Williams (Shirley from Lavern and Shirley) and Frederick Forrest let’s just say his antenna is up!

As the movie unfolds Henry comes to realizes he is part of the problem and not the solution and he himself becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to murder the man who hired him in the first place. If you like poetic subtlety the ending of The Conversation is as profound as there has ever been.

Good news! The Conversation can be streamed for FREE on Amazon, so you literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain by watching this classic.

Night Moves was film directed by Arthur Penn (Seans dad) with a script by Alan Sharp and stars the Gene machine, and Susan Clark and was released in 1975. You also get to see a very young Melanie Griffith and James Woods in early movie roles.

Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a retired football player and current private eye who is hired by a former actress to find and retrieve her runaway teen daughter who is her principal source of income through a trust that is contingent on her that same daughter living with her. Simple right? Think again my jump to conclusions friends.

Night Moves has so many twist and turns it feels like a race car tearing ass down Lombard Street on a rainy day. There’s an extra marital affair, an ancient relic, suspicious deaths, a double crossing, and an ending for the ages.

Night Moves has some severely adult themes and may be tough to watch at times but please, please don’t take your eyes off this masterpiece, you will be better off for it in the long run.

I actually saw this movie on the big screen at a retro screening once but you can watch on lots of streaming sites for about $4

And now, I have saved the best for last, a movie I love with two actors at the top of their game.

Scarecrow was a movie directed Jerry Schatzberg from a script by Gary Michael White and stars Hackman, Al Pacino, and Eileen Brennan and was released in 1973. This was Hackman’s follow up film after his Oscar win for The French Connection.

You’re probably asking yourself at this point, “Hackman and Pacino were in a movie together?” The answer is yes and it’s awesome, two actors delivering subtle and genuine performances that I would put up against any of their other signature parts.

Scarecrow is a road movie about two wayward souls who meet and hit the road together to make it to Pittsburgh from California, where they plan to open a car wash together. This journey proves traumatic for Lionel’s (Pacino) fragile mental state, and Max (Hackman) must not only be his friend but his counselor and caretaker at times, this is never more prevalent when the 2 are sent to prison for a year.

It’s an odyssey with moving moments, and even some organic comedy thrown in. However, the 1970’s was a different time for movies, with the conventions of a “happy ending” eliminated and this movie is no different.

Interesting note, this movie was set to have a sequel and yours truly met with Mr. Schatzberg to draft such a script. None if this happened but still was a moment for me in my faded career.

This films is a bargain at $3 on multiple streaming sites so if you’re a fan of good acting, cinematography and storytelling this is a no brainer. Enjoy!