However, while the film’s car chase is celebrated by film aficionados, Hackman said “there was a better one filmed a few years earlier with Steve McQueen”, referencing the 1968 film Bullitt.
Perhaps most memorable, though, was Hackman’s performance as grizzled detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 crime drama The French Connection – and despite it being one of his most famous roles, it was one the actor never cared to revisit.
Writing about Hackman’s performance as Doyle for The Independent, Geoffrey Macnab said: “The cop behaves atrociously throughout the film, beating up suspects, arguing with superiors, getting drunk, lusting over female cyclists, stealing cars and putting his colleagues’ lives at risk.
He did acknowledge that the film was “a moment” in what he admitted was “a checkered career of hits and misses”, stating: “The film certainly helped me in my career, and I am grateful for that.”.
The actor watched the film just once, shortly after it was completed – but that was enough for Hackman, who won an Oscar for the role.
