Gene Hackman’s Payback

Payback at Morning Peak – while it may sound like the return of 81-year-old, two-time Academy Award winner Gene Hackman to the silver screen from self imposed exile; it is in fact the title of his first solo piece of fiction. The acting legend famous for such roles as Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, Lex Luthor in Superman and Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s western swan song, Unforgiven – is already a veteran in the literary circles having co-authored three books with archaeologist Daniel Lenihan.

Payback centers on the tale of a young drover, Jubal, returning home from a hunt in the mountains of New Mexico to find his parents and sister murdered and the homestead burnt to the ground. Jubal then embarks on a quest for revenge taking out his enemies one-by-one through the hostile New Mexican desert. The book has been described as featuring visually descriptive surroundings of the area told by a true local – of which Hackman has been for many years.

Having newly been released world-wide in June in paperback and Kindle, Payback has received rave reviews from critics and currently holds a 4-star rating on Amazon. While it isn’t the triumphant return his cinematic fans have been hoping for (judging from the promo video, he’s still looking sharp!) Hackman’s heart has clearly found an alternative and passionate creative outlet.

For a man who has worked with film’s greatest auteurs including Warren Beatty, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Mike Nichols, Sydney Pollack, Alan Parker and William Friedkin – let’s hope an adaptation is on the cards ASAP so that a writing credit will wipe away his final fingerprint in the film world; the Ray Romano collaboration Welcome to Mooseport.