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The recent death of Gene Hackman has prompted many cinephiles to revisit their favorite films featuring the two-time Academy Award-winning actor — though, really, regardless of what’s going on in the world, any movie lover worth their weight in celluloid is never far removed from watching a Hackman flick because the man made so many classic, rewatchable pictures. The most valuable thing we can do as film buffs right now is to turn younger cinephiles on to the man’s multitude of brilliant performers, because some of these kids were born after his 2004 retirement from acting.
For those just becoming acquainted with Hackman, it’s important to understand that there’s no ideal way to watch his movies. You can throw a dart at Hackman’s filmography, and even if you hit a lousy movie like “Loose Cannons” or “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace,” you’re at least going to get Hackman being an utter professional in a movie that struggles to earn his consistent greatness. I certainly have my preferences, and I do think it’s worth hitting some of the high-profile performances early (like “The French Connection,” “Unforgiven,” and “Hoosiers”) before diving into “Cisco Pike,” “Prime Cut,” or “Night Moves,” but there’s not a movie in his oeuvre that will make you want to watch less Hackman.
And depending on how many streaming services you subscribe to, your options may be horribly limited. For instance, there are only two Gene Hackman movies on Netflix as of this writing … though at least people are seeking out the superior offering.
Runaway Jury is a runaway hit on Netflix
According to FlixPatrol, Gary Fleder’s adaptation of John Grisham’s bestselling legal thriller “Runaway Jury” is the eighth most popular film on Netflix, just behind “Venom: The Last Dance” and ahead of “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and “Friday.” This is by far the better Hackman selection on the service, the other option being “Under Suspicion,” Stephen Hopkins’ limp murder mystery that, despite reuniting Hackman with his “Unforgiven” co-star Morgan Freeman, barely got a theatrical release in the United States.
“Runaway Jury” is most notable for being the only onscreen pairing of Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. The legendary actors were once classmates at the Pasadena Playhouse (where they were both voted “Least Likely to Succeed”), and shared an apartment in New York City during the 1960s. Hackman plays a corrupt jury consultant, while Hoffman portrays the crusading attorney who’s suing a firearms company on behalf of a widow who lost her husband in a mass shooting. John Cusack stars as a jury member who, after trying to get kicked out of the selection process, winds up rising to the occasion.
“Runaway Jury” isn’t a terribly memorable movie, but it’s a blast to watch longtime pals Hackman and Hoffman spar. The script, credited to Brian Koppelman & David Levien and Rick Cleveland and Matthew Chapman (that’s WGA for Koppelman and Levien wrote together, while the other two worked on the screenplay separately) is zippy and smart enough to keep you from getting too far ahead of the plot. It’ll scratch your Hackman itch, but not for long. And that’s good, because there’s so much more Hackman to savor.
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