When he was chasing the hit man through the city, must have run three miles non stop, including up and down steps. When I watch it i always say, "damn, that must be a good work out". Also, unlikely that a guy like Hackman could do it without passing out.
share3 miles non-stop? He ran after him for a few blocks to a relatively nearby subway platform, then once the sniper and the train he was on took off from there, Doyle ran down the stairs to the street and commandeered that Pontiac and drove after him the rest of the way. Yeah he must have been in good shape since we saw he and his partner chase down another guy earlier in the movie. Neither detective looked to be slow fat slob cops. Hackman btw was a very agile guy did you notice how effortlessly he was running up stairs and jumping over railings and turnstiles?
Whether unlikely or not the point was to show how hell-bent and determined Doyle was to catch people he was after...
I've written this before, turtletommy, but here it is again, Hackman's performance is one of the great physical performances in Hollywood history. Running, jumping, fighting, he's tough, messy and lyrical at the same time. I love the bit where he's running after Charnier, loses him in the subway station, runs up the subway stairs and wrenches off his top coat in frustration. He's like a malevolent Buster Keaton, right down to the porkpie hat.
shareI remember you mentioning that wrfarley- yes it's a great physical performance. I just found an older Vanity Fair article about Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Duvall you may be aware of- they were friends and co-conspirator acting wannabees back in the day- great read and what an acting triumvirate! There's really not a lot in Hackman's past except a stint in the Marine Corps to get a sense of any athleticism in him but he moved very well in this!
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2004/03/gene-hackman-dust in-hoffman-hollywood
In acting parlance, it's called "physicality." The great actors have it, probably most notably Marlon Brando, who could fight (ON THE WATERFRONT, LAST TANGO), dance credibly (GUYS AND DOLLS), ride a horse at top speed (VIVA ZAPATA, ONE-EYED JACKS, MISSOURI BREAKS), ride a motorcycle (THE WILD ONE). Olivier was a great physical actor, too, including a terrific stage fencer.
It's almost becoming a lost art in Hollywood. Love Pacino, De Niro, and many other method actors, but Douglas Fairbanks, they ain't.
Whoops! Didn't see the link for Vanity Fair. I'll read it now.
shareI think you have to go into comedy to find those guys today. Brad Pitt fits the description, perhaps Johnny Depp as well. Jim Carrey definitely. Anyone with a rubbery face and physicality for slapstick. Putting them in a serious role like Hackman often makes for interesting results. Playing against type in any circumstance often makes for interesting results...