The 10 Most Underrated Gene Hackman Movies, Ranked (from least to most underrated)

Gene Hackman built a career that spans crime stories, westerns, war dramas, political thrillers, and character driven indies. He earned two Academy Awards and retired from acting after a final screen role in ‘Welcome to Mooseport’, yet his filmography still holds titles that many viewers discover long after release.

This list brings together ten features where Hackman anchors the story or gives a pivotal turn, working with directors known for sharp storytelling and strong ensembles. You will see road tales, train set thrillers, studio westerns, and true story rescues, each showing how consistently he elevated material across decades.

‘Target’ (1985)

Arthur Penn directs this father and son thriller with Hackman as Walter Lloyd and Matt Dillon as Chris, who head to Europe after the family matriarch disappears during a trip. The story moves through Paris and Hamburg as clues reveal Walter’s past life in intelligence and how it collides with a present day abduction.

The production pairs Penn with Hackman again after earlier collaborations, and it leans on on location shooting to ground the chase through foreign streets and rail stations. The film builds its momentum around a mix of domestic mystery and Cold War era tradecraft, with set pieces staged in public squares, hotels, and train yards.

‘The Package’ (1989)

Andrew Davis crafts an action conspiracy story with Hackman as Army Master Sergeant Johnny Gallagher, assigned to escort a prisoner played by Tommy Lee Jones. The handoff goes wrong and the mission widens into an assassination plot timed to high level arms talks, with the action moving between Chicago and Berlin.

The film uses military police procedure and urban locations to frame car chases, foot pursuits, and airport sequences. Davis, who later directed major action hits, maps the story across real streets and federal buildings, while a supporting cast that includes Joanna Cassidy, John Heard, and Dennis Franz fills out the world around the two leads.

‘Heist’ (2001)

Writer director David Mamet builds a clockwork crime picture with Hackman as veteran thief Joe Moore, forced to pull one more job for a fence played by Danny DeVito. The crew, including Delroy Lindo and Ricky Jay, targets a shipment of gold while a younger rival played by Sam Rockwell complicates every move.

The film is tightly structured around planning sessions, rehearsals, and double crosses, with dialogue that tracks rules, routes, and timing. Mamet stages airport, harbor, and warehouse sequences with practical effects and physical stunts, favoring close quarters tension that reflects the careful tradecraft of professional criminals.

‘Bat*21’ (1988)

Peter Markle directs this war drama based on the rescue of navigator Iceal Hambleton, with Hackman portraying the stranded airman and Danny Glover as the pilot coordinating extraction. The story follows coded radio exchanges, reconnaissance flights, and ground evasion as friendly forces work to reach the downed officer.

The production films in jungle terrain to stand in for Southeast Asia, balancing air to air photography with ground level movement through rivers and brush. Military procedures, call signs, and rescue protocols structure the narrative, while maps, signal traffic, and artillery barrages mark each stage of the operation.

‘The Quick and the Dead’ (1995)

Sam Raimi directs a studio western built around a quick draw tournament in the town of Redemption, with Hackman as the local boss John Herod and Sharon Stone as a mysterious gunfighter. Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio join the ensemble as the bracket advances and the rules of each duel set the pace.

Raimi designs the town as a full build set so cameras can track fighters from boardwalk to main street without cuts. Close ups, zooms, and practical squibs shape each showdown, while costume and prop work catalogs revolvers, holsters, and rigs used by the competitors as the tournament narrows to a final face off.

‘Narrow Margin’ (1990)

Peter Hyams delivers a streamlined thriller that takes place almost entirely on a moving train, with Hackman as deputy district attorney Robert Caulfield and Anne Archer as a protected witness. The plot concerns killers seeking to eliminate testimony tied to organized crime while the train runs through remote mountain country.

The film is a remake of ‘The Narrow Margin’ and updates the premise with modern surveillance, helicopter tracking, and tight corridor staging. Hyams serves as both director and cinematographer, using low light carriages, dining compartments, and roof walks to stage pursuits that rely on space, speed, and timing.

‘Prime Cut’ (1972)

Michael Ritchie directs this Midwestern crime story with Lee Marvin as a mob enforcer sent to collect from a Kansas City meatpacker played by Hackman. Sissy Spacek makes a notable early appearance as a young woman caught in the criminal enterprise as rival crews clash in stockyards, fairs, and farm fields.

The movie contrasts city syndicate outfits with rural power built on livestock and packing plants, using real locations and heavy machinery as part of the action. Set pieces include a pursuit through a wheat field and confrontations on auction grounds, while wardrobe and vehicles place the underworld in a plains setting.

‘Bite the Bullet’ (1975)

Richard Brooks stages a long distance endurance horse race sponsored by a major newspaper, with Hackman and James Coburn as former cavalrymen and Candice Bergen as a skilled rider competing for the prize. The route crosses deserts, canyons, and frontier towns as riders face fatigue, injury, and changing terrain.

Production emphasizes practical horsemanship, wide landscape photography, and period tack and wagons. Checkpoints, water stops, and veterinary inspections mark the course, while rivals form temporary alliances when weather and geography threaten to end a bid for the finish.

‘Night Moves’ (1975)

Arthur Penn returns to the private eye tradition with Hackman as investigator Harry Moseby, hired to find a runaway who may be hiding in the Florida Keys. The case links to film industry players, stolen artifacts, and a sunken aircraft, with clues spread across marinas, islands, and coastal roads.

The movie aligns with the wave of modern noir that favors psychological detail and offbeat settings. Boats, dive gear, and night shoots on the water shape the look of the final act, and the cast features early work from Melanie Griffith along with key turns by Jennifer Warren and James Woods.

‘Scarecrow’ (1973)

Jerry Schatzberg directs this character piece about two drifters who meet on the road and travel east to start a small business, with Hackman paired with Al Pacino. The journey moves through bars, freight yards, and small towns as the pair trade work for meals and rides while planning their next stop.

The film won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival and is noted for its location work across backroads and rail sidings. Cinematography favors natural light and long takes, and the script gives both leads room to show how chance encounters and day labor shape each leg of their trip.

Share your picks for overlooked Gene Hackman performances in the comments.