The Acclaimed Gene Hackman Sports Drama Getting A Second Life On Prime Video

It’s widely regarded as one of the best sports movies ever madebut there was a time when “Hoosiers” made Gene Hackman fear that he wouldn’t work again. The film sees him play Norman Dale, a troubled coach tasked with guiding the Hickory Huskers basketball team to glory. Sounds like a fun rags-to-success story, right? Not for Hackman, who felt his career was on a downward turn in the 1980s and that “Hoosiers” would be its death knell. He was wrong about that, and did pretty well for himself afterwards. What’s more, “Hoosiers” is a slam dunk that’s still finding new fans in 2025.

According to data obtained by FlixPatrol“Hoosiers” currently occupies the fifth spot in Prime Video’s top 10 chart in the United States, which is a remarkable achievement for a movie that Hackman expected to flop back in the day. It isn’t the only Hackman movie to top streaming charts since his passing either, as “Runaway Jury,” co-starring John Cusack, is a hit on Netflix.

There are two movies Hackman regretted starring inbut “Hoosiers” wasn’t one of them. It probably helps that it went on to become an acclaimed box office hit, but even before then, he seemed happy with the sports drama after seeing the first cut.

Gene Hackman was a cranky curmudgeon on the set of “Hoosiers,” with the actor spending the majority of the shoot arguing with first-time director David Anspaugh over everything from his methods to his inexperience. Reflecting on the film in an interview with VultureAnspaugh noted that Hackman thrived when tensions were high in the room, believing that it got his creative muscles flexing. The good news, though, is that the veteran actor trusted Anspaugh when “Hoosiers” was all said and done. Anspaugh recalled:

“(W)e set up a screening for him the night before he was scheduled to come in and do his ADR. Angelo and I knew that if he didn’t like the movie, he wouldn’t show up at the studio to rerecord his dialogue. But he showed up. He walked into the room, took his glasses off, looked me in the eyes, and said, ‘How the f*** did you do that?'”

In the end, “Hoosiers” worked out well for everyone involved. Hackman continued to have a storied career after its release, and the film’s young cast and director made a fun sports drama that has stood the test of time. Now that the film has found success on streaming, the story of the Hicksory Huskers will continue to resonate with fans for a while yet.