78 Gene Hackman Movies & TV Shows, Ranked Best to Worst

When two cowboys attack and disfigure a prostitute, Sheriff Little Bill Daggett's decree leaves the rest of the prostitutes angry. They offer $1,000 to anyone who kills the two. This attracts William Munny, a former killer who is now reformed and leads a peaceful life. Along with his old partner-in-crime, Ned Logan, he sets out to re-enter the dangerous world.  

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of mad scientist Victor Frankenstein, inherits their family estate in Transylvania where he accidentally comes across his grandfather's journals and decides to resume his experiment. However, things gradually go out of hand after young Frankenstein unknowingly implants an abnormal brain into a corpse and his fiancée Elizabeth shows up in the estate.

FBI agents, Rupert Anderson and Alan Ward, are sent to investigate when 3 civil rights workers go missing in Jessup County, Mississippi. The agents, with diverse approach towards investigation, encounter non-cooperating residents, hostile police, and aggressive Ku Klux Klan. As the KKK assault the local African-Americans and set their houses on fire, the agents have to resort to unorthodox methods of investigations.

Harry Caul, a sound surveillance expert, is engaged by a client, ‘the director,’ to provide the tape of conversation between a young couple, Mark and Ann, as they walk across San Francisco’s Union Square. From the recordings Harry learns that the couple’s lives are under threat. He tries to dig deep into the matter only to get entangled in a dangerous mystery.

New York City detectives Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle and Buddy ‘Cloudy’ Russo hatch a plan to bring down drug lord Alain Charnier, who leads the world’s biggest heroin-smuggling syndicate. They must however contend with Charnier’s unlimited resources, Salvatore ‘Sal’ Boca and lawyer Joel Weinstock. 

The biographical crime drama follows the notorious bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, who go from small-time thieves to violent, murderous bank robbers during the Great Depression. As they are pursued by the law, they attain cult status with Americans but a violent end awaits. 

Royal Tenenbaum and his now-separated wife Etheline have three children, including an adopted girl, all of whom were geniuses as teenagers, but are now struggling with their adult lives. Learning that Etheline is planning to remarry, Royal fakes cancer to bring his dysfunctional family together, but also exposes years of failure and betrayal, resulting in chaos.

This sports drama film tells the story of Norman Dale who runs the basketball program of a high school of a small town in Indiana. He befriends a local drunk and makes him his assistant, and tries to create a winning team. 

Jor-EI, a scientist from the doomed Planet Krypton, sends his infant son Kal-EI on a spaceship to Earth. Brought up in Smallville by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, he becomes aware of his extraordinary abilities during boyhood. Later, working for Daily Planet as a gentle and polite reporter Clark Kent, he uses his superhuman powers to fight criminal mastermind, Lex Luthor. 

It is based on the events of ‘Operation Market Garden’ of September, 1944. In order to bring a quick end to the WWII, the allied forces decide to drop thousands of paratroopers to secure strategic bridges in Netherlands to obtain access into Germany. The main bridge was the one to Arnhem. But tough German resistance and faulty allied intelligence led to failure.

A videotape of the political assassination of a Congressman by corrupt NSA official, Reynolds, is passed on to an unsuspecting lawyer Robert Dean. Soon Dean is targeted by Reynolds’ men and is framed in another murder. As Dean’s life falls apart, he seeks help of ex-intelligence operator Brill to get to the bottom of this case. 

The film revolves around an incident that takes place on a ballistic missile submarine assigned to launch its missile on a Russian nuclear installation. But when the time comes only a part of the order can be decoded, resulting in a conflict between its Commanding Officer, a war veteran and his Executive Officer, a military tactic expert.  

A radical American journalist travels to Russia where he gets involved with the communist revolution in the country. He also meets an activist sharing the same ideology, and gets married to her.

Scarecrow is a drama film which tells the story of two vagabonds Max Millan, a short-tempered ex-convict and Francis Lionel, a childlike ex-sailor, who meet in California, and decide to become partners in a car wash business. They work hard together to find success.

Another Woman is a drama film which revolves around Marion, a philosophy professor going through a mid-life crisis. When she rents an apartment to work on her new book, she soon finds that she can hear into the next room, which is a psychiatrist’s office. She gets drawn to the plight of a woman named Hope, and her story also helps Marion reevaluate her life.  

Gun manufacturer Vicksburg Firearms find themselves on trial. This pits corrupt jury consultant Rankin Fitch who uses all means to pick people sympathetic to the defense for jury duty against lawyer Wendell Rohr. But when juror, Nicholas Easter, and a mysterious woman Marlee reveal, they can sway the jury, things get complicated. 

Armand Goldman and his long-term partner Albert own the popular drag-club, ‘The Birdcage’, in Miami’s South Beach where Albert, a.k.a. drag-queen Starina is the main attraction. Armand’s son Val declares his intentions of marrying Barbara, daughter of conservative right-wing senator, John Keeley. When the Keeleys arrive to meet Val’s ‘family,’ the Goldmans pretend to be ‘straight,’ and end up creating chaos.

While sailing from New York City to Athens, an ocean liner is hit by tsunami and overturns. Trapped in the dining room, most of the survivors elect to stay put until helps come, while a passionate priest, who believes that God helps those who help themselves, decides to find a way out. A few of the passengers also follow him. 

Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell, who is to join Defense Secretary David Brice’s team, falls in love with Susan Atwell, and then learns that she is Brice’s mistress. Farrell is assigned to investigate when Susan is found dead soon after their weekend together. Farrell must nail the killer quickly before Farrell’s Polaroid negative found in Susan’s apartment could make him the prime suspect.

Night Moves is a mystery crime thriller film which takes us to the life of Harry Moseby, a private investigator in Los Angeles, who is hired by a former actress named Arlene Iverson, to find her runaway teen daughter Delly. He manages to track her down, but soon it seems to Harry that Delly might be trying to seduce all of her mother’s former lovers.

Russell Price, a photojournalist, is in Chad, covering a military conflict. He attends a party for his friend Alex, at his hotel, as the latter is no longer going to cover foreign conflicts, and is going to New York to take up a comfortable job as a news anchor instead. Price, however, wants to continue as a war journalist. Shortly after, he gets involved in the happenings of the Civil War, when he takes a picture of the rebel leader Rafael, who was believed to be dead.

Chill Palmer, a loan-shark and movie-fan from Miami, is sent to Hollywood to collect a gambling debt from Harry Zimm, producer of tacky horror films. As Chill gets acquainted with the Hollywood bunch and toys with the idea of a film based on his life-story, he realizes that a mobster like him can easily fit in the role of a Hollywood producer. 

Harvard Law graduate, Mitch McDeere,lands a high paying job at the Bendini, Lambert & Locke firm, only to realize that the firm helps to launder mob money. As Mitch tries to find proof and break out of the firm’s grips, he finds his and his wife’s lives threatened by the firm and the mob. 

Three evil conspirators - General Zod, Ursa and Non – are banished from planet Krypton and are imprisoned at Phantom Zone. They are accidentally released after a terrorist attack on earth leads to a hydrogen bomb blast. The trio head towards earth to claim it. Meanwhile Clark Kent and Lois Lane grow closer with Clark deciding to let go his superman powers for the sake of love.

Luther Whitney, a professional thief, decides to retire after one last job. Everything goes smoothly, until things take a turn for the worse, and he is framed for murder. 

This American biographical Western film released in 1994 and follows the life of Wyatt Earp, an Old West lawman and gambler. The movie follows his story from being a farm boy in Iowa, growing up into a terrifying marshal and finally leading up to the O.K. Corral gunfight.

Suzanne is an actress who is a recovering drug addict. Her production company says that she has to stay with her mother, if she wants to continue working. However, the problem is that her mother, who is a former actress, still treats her like a child. In addition, she is manipulative and self-absorbed.  

When the regular players go on strike while the season is still on, the owner of a pro football league hires a legendary coach, asking him to recruit replacement players within a week, promising not to interfere in the selection. Quickly the coach starts building up his team, selecting varying players, for whom the strike offers a second chance few players get. 

An Englishman, a former prostitute with unclear motives, a young gunfighter, an aging cowboy, and several other characters take part in a 700 mile horse race organized by a newspaper, throughout the Southwest desert in 1908.

A once-famous rock-star Cisco Pike, who is facing difficult times, gets convicted for drug dealing. Later, though he tries to lead a straight life with his girlfriend, a corrupt LAPD officer, Leo Holland, blackmails him into selling 100kg of confiscated marijuana within a weekend. As Cisco runs from pillar to post to meet the deadline, can he avoid getting arrested once again? 

A mysterious woman named The Lady arrives at Redemption, an Old West town ruled by a merciless outlaw called Herod and announces her participation in a fast-draw single elimination tournament in which the loser dies. Although she insists that she is only interested in the large cash prize she may have some other hidden agenda. 

Joe Moore who is a professional jewel thief, gives up his lifestyle after his identity is captured by a security surveillance tape. However, a time comes when he and his partner are bankrupt, and therefore they decide to go on one last heist.

Under Suspicion is a suspense thriller film which tells the story of a wealthy tax attorney Henry Hearst who is questioned by the police about the murder of two young girls. They let him go after finding proof of his innocence.  However, when the police question his wife, they see that her story conflicts with his version.

Geronimo: An American Legend is a historical drama film which revolves around Geronimo, chief of the Apaches, who decides that he needs to lead an armed rebellion against the government of the US, as he feels that the government has failed him and his people.

The life of Carol Hunnicut changes after she witnesses a brutal murder by mobsters. She is forced to hide in a cabin in a remote region. However, a district attorney from Los Angeles tracks her down, and convinces her to testify in court, promising to protect her. However, it soon seems that the mob is in pursuit of her, to get rid of her, so that she can never testify.

Behind Enemy Lines is a war action drama film which tells the story of Lt Chris Burnett, a US helicopter pilot who is part of the NATO forces observing the peace treaty during the conflict in former Yugoslavia. However, he is spotted and shot down by Serb forces during his flight route. He survives and runs for his life while the Serbs try to hunt him down.

Western rancher Zandy needs a wife to help him with ranch work; thus, not interested in love or companionship, he treats his mail-ordered bride more as his possession than wife. He is not happy as she is older than anticipated and expects to be treated with respect. But after enduring hardships and trials together, he learns to love and respect his bride.

The Package is an action crime drama thriller film which tells the story of sergeant Johnny Gallagher, an experienced green beret, who is assigned a mission to escort a prisoner Thomas Boyette back to the US. However, things get complicated when Boyette manages to escape, and Gallagher must now risk his life to catch him.

Lt Col Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert working for the US Army whose aircraft is shot down while in enemy territory. Although he is unfamiliar with the harsh terrain in Vietnam, he tries to map out an escape route, but he has to face several enemy forces on the way. Meanwhile, a rescue operation ensues to find him as well.

Colonel Rhodes is a retired officer whose son had gone missing ten years ago. Eventually, he decides to assemble a team, with the help of a wealthy man, hoping that he can find Americans who are held in POW camps in Laos, as he feels that his son might be held in one of them.

Max and Page Corners are a brilliant mother-daughter con team, targeting rich and wealthy men. Their modus operandi is simple. First Max marries a willing target and then Page seduces him. Later Max catches her husband, leading to quick divorce and a hefty alimony. Once that is done, they start looking for their next target. It generally works. 

Based on the novel of the same name, Extreme Measures is a crime thriller film which tells the story of a young doctor who confronts one of his colleagues after he comes across unethical medical sacrifices being conducted in his hospital.  

Twilight is a mystery thriller film which tells the story of Harry Ross, a private detective, who lives with two former movie stars named Jack and Catherine Ames. When Jack assigns a simple task to Harry, which involves delivering a package, things get confusing as when Harry arrives at the address, he encounters a wounded man named Ivar, who starts shooting at him.  

An adventure comedy film, The Mexican tells the story of a man named Jerry who crashes into the car of local mobster Arnold Margolese. Forced to work for the mobster following a quirky turn of events, Jerry has a crazy adventure that involves guns, criminals, and a murder. 

A man who is on trial is eventually sentenced to death. On the day of his execution, he murders the executioner himself. Soon it is revealed that he didn’t actually commit the murder he was originally convicted of.

Based on Richard Stark’s novel The Seventh, the movie follows a professional thief McClain as he, along with an old friend, plots to rob a football arena. They put together a team and successfully carry out the job. Things, though, take a darker turn when a murder takes place, the money goes missing, a corrupt detective appears and the gang members doubt McClain’s intention. 

After a bombing that leads to the deaths of three people, Sam Cayhall is tried for murder, and is eventually sentenced to death. After twenty-nine years, a few weeks before his scheduled execution, a young lawyer named Adam Hall, struggles to win clemency for Cayhall. It soon turns out that Adam is the grandson of Cayhall, and he soon finds evidence suggesting that his grandfather may not be responsible for the crime.   

Based on a non-fiction novel by Frank Elli, the film focuses on a riot staged by the inmates of a state prison to cover an escape attempt. While 35 of the most violent criminals become involved in it, killing guards and inmates alike, one does not want any part of it. Instead, he tries to protect a prison guard.  . 

A golf star takes up a job as an instructor at an exclusive country club. He soon sees that the owner is fleecing the wealthy guests through various schemes, along with his son in law.

The sole survivor of a Japanese attack at Guadalcanal, Sgt. Jack Connell becomes a decorated hero. Returning home he falls for and marries Peggy Sandford, and starts training recruits at the marine base. But getting restless, he requests to join active duty. As he returns to the front-line, initially he comes under fire, but taking hold over himself he leads his troops to victory. 

After two successful terms in office, a former US President Monroe Cole returns to his hometown of Mooseport. After the death of the town mayor, Cole is approached by the town council about running for office. Fed up of his ex-wife, Cole agrees because if he wins, his Mooseport home can serve as his office, which is why it will not be divided up or sold off in his divorce settlement.

During the height of the Prohibition Era, best friends Kibby Womack and Walker Ellis are running a successful underground liquor smuggling business. When a young widow Claire gets involved, a love triangle develops and the three must survive organized crime and the Coast Guard. 

Based on the popular DC Comics superhero Superman, this film revolves around Superman as he is planning to destroy all nuclear weapons as the world is on the brink of a nuclear war. However, his nemesis, Lex Luthor, creates Nuclear Man, a force which may even be strong enough to even take down Superman. 

Z, a worker ant striving to break away from his monotonous routine and express his individuality, falls in love with beautiful princess Bala when she visits a bar to escape suffocating royal life. He switches places with soldier friend Weaver to see her again, and unwittingly becomes the colony's only hope against a coup d'état by General Mandible.

It is based on the life of the notorious Irish-American gangster Vincent ‘Mad Dog’ Coll. A troubled childhood takes him to street gangs and then, organized crime. Fearless and coldblooded, he challenges top racketeer Dutch Schultz and takes pleasure in recklessly shooting people, earning the nick-name 'Mad Dog.' As a result of his brutal ways, he is chased by the police and mob leaders.