Actor Gene Hackman, 1972
Gene Hackman’s recent and mysterious death at the age of 95 has brought much attention to his filmography. While “French Connection” and “The Conversation” get high marks, I want to draw attention to two of my favorites, “Narrow Margin,” and “The Firm.”
“The Narrow Margin,” starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer, 1990.
The action-packed “Narrow Margin” features our main characters stuck on a train chased by bad guys with guns. The suspense is very Alfred Hitchcockesque. “The Firm,” based a John Gresham novel, is also a thriller that features a more subtle evil; these bad guys wear tailored suits and sip cocktails on terraces. Gene Hackman plays very different characters in these two movies, a nod to his acting virtuosity.
“The Firm,” released in 1993, stars Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Gene Hackman.
Readers: I have written a new nonfiction history, When People Were Things, to be published in late spring. Watch this space.
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