He had the charisma of being a tough guy but with a conscience. Kind of like old school dads. He had that sense of authority, but with a sense of charm too. Tannenbaums is a great example, but so is Hoosiers-- he's the smart coach, but when you hear he hit a kid at his last job you immediately can see it, and you feel his regret about it…
He had the charisma of being a tough guy but with a conscience. Kind of like old school dads. He had that sense of authority, but with a sense of charm too. Tannenbaums is a great example, but so is Hoosiers-- he's the smart coach, but when you hear he hit a kid at his last job you immediately can see it, and you feel his regret about it too. Unforgiven too--he's the sherriff, the voice of authority, but he understands if he doesn't make an example of Bob, things are going to unravel quickly, and so goes overboard with the beat down.
My favorite Hackman role though was Mississippi Burning. As the paternal FBI guy counterbalance to Willem Dafoe's zealous dive head first partner, he's the calm voice of reason. He wants to get to the bottom of everything just as much as Dafoe, but understands there's a better way to get at it, and is proven right. The barber scene with Brad Dourif where he holds a straight razor to Dourif's throat he really gets a chance to shine both the toughness and the charm. Perfection.
He had the charisma of being a tough guy but with a conscience. Kind of like old school dads. He had that sense of authority, but with a sense of charm too. Tannenbaums is a great example, but so is Hoosiers-- he's the smart coach, but when you hear he hit a kid at his last job you immediately can see it, and you feel his regret about it too. Unforgiven too--he's the sherriff, the voice of authority, but he understands if he doesn't make an example of Bob, things are going to unravel quickly, and so goes overboard with the beat down.
My favorite Hackman role though was Mississippi Burning. As the paternal FBI guy counterbalance to Willem Dafoe's zealous dive head first partner, he's the calm voice of reason. He wants to get to the bottom of everything just as much as Dafoe, but understands there's a better way to get at it, and is proven right. The barber scene with Brad Dourif where he holds a straight razor to Dourif's throat he really gets a chance to shine both the toughness and the charm. Perfection.