The French Connection (1971)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Film C

  
  A classic crime drama that has a great cast and great performances from Gene Hackman, the comedy or liners from this movie are funny and it is a good car scene chase that is realistic but certainly not a favourite movie that id watch over and over! Its good but not that good. The… More
  A classic crime drama that has a great cast and great performances from Gene Hackman, the comedy or liners from this movie are funny and it is a good car scene chase that is realistic but certainly not a favourite movie that id watch over and over! Its good but not that good. The story just seem to float in and out of a story and just didnt have much going on! It is retro so the shootouts where you see people shot are going to be laughable but it isnt that great of a movie to make me say i thoroughly enjoy it !

• Tim S

  
  What can one say about the brilliance of William Friedkin's masterpiece The French Connection that hasn't already been said? It's a fantastic cop drama, in the style of later TV shows like Homicide: Life on the Street, but it's also incredibly well-made and… More
  What can one say about the brilliance of William Friedkin's masterpiece The French Connection that hasn't already been said? It's a fantastic cop drama, in the style of later TV shows like Homicide: Life on the Street, but it's also incredibly well-made and dripping with young director angst. I love Gene Hackman in this film. He is so detestable. He's hard-nosed, racist and just flat out unredeemable, but yet you love this guy and wanna see him get the bad guys. Roy Scheider is also fantastic as his partner, but it's Gene Hackman who really steals the show here. This film also belongs to what I refer to as the Holy Friedkin Trilogy, which is The French Connection, The Exorcist and Sorcerer, which were made pretty much all in a row. They're all masterpieces, and even though he went on to make the fantastic To Live and Die in L.A., it's these three films that really make me respect him as a director. And this is a film I never tire of.

• Lewis C

  
  The 70's churned out hard-boiled cop thrillers by the fistful, but The French Connection is one of those that is still worth watching today.

• Mister C

  
  Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle. What more can I say? No wonder its one of AFI's top 100 movies of all time and the result was five Oscars including Best Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay,and Best Actor of 1971. This was the movie that cemented Gene Hackman's career as one of the… More
  Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle. What more can I say? No wonder its one of AFI's top 100 movies of all time and the result was five Oscars including Best Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay,and Best Actor of 1971. This was the movie that cemented Gene Hackman's career as one of the great action stars of the 1970's. This gritty hard-boiled crime thriller remains to this day one of the great cop dramas of the 1970's. Even after 40 years,its still holds up to the title. The coolest car chase in screen history through the mean streets of Brooklyn is one of cinema's all-time great car chase sequences. This movie became one of the top-ten highest grossing films of 1971,and it was so successful for 20th Century-Fox,that in 1975 had a sequel "French Connection II",and a spin-off which was another hard-boiled cop thriller of the early 1970's "The Seven-Ups",that came out in 1973.

• Kevin C

  
  If The French Connection isn't the coolest film ever made, then it's definitely in the top 5.

• Jeff "

  
  The French Connection is by far one of the best action films of the 1970's. A tense action thrill ride from start to finish, two cops Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Gackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) a are oin the hunt of a drug smuggling operation where French drug… More
  The French Connection is by far one of the best action films of the 1970's. A tense action thrill ride from start to finish, two cops Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Gackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) a are oin the hunt of a drug smuggling operation where French drug dealers seek to import 32 million dollars worth of heroin. The French Connection is a tense action packed film with a phenomenal casst that deliver great performances. Director William Friedkin crafts a solid film that remains a classic. Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider really have good chemistry here, and they play their parts very well. Both actors are perfect for the roles they played. The French Connection is a well constructed film with plenty of drama and action. This is a memorable film, and is one that is superbly filmed and directed. This is one of the best action / cop dramas that I've seen from this era since Steve McQueen 's Bullit. What makes this film work so well is the blend of suspense, action and drama rolled into one film. The French Connection is a solid film and if you haven't seen it, and enjoy old action films, then pick this one up. The French Connection is an epic film that is a definite classic of action/ cop genre. The film is perfectly executed to thrill the audience, and what you have here with this film, is a film that delivers a solid plot with solid acting and it delivers something truly memorable.

• Michael G

  
  The French Connection is possibly the greatest crime drama ever. The performances are as gritty as the cinematography and Don Ellis' score made me feel like I was going to get killed at any moment. The French Connection feels like a police ride along where your safety isn't… More
  The French Connection is possibly the greatest crime drama ever. The performances are as gritty as the cinematography and Don Ellis' score made me feel like I was going to get killed at any moment. The French Connection feels like a police ride along where your safety isn't guaranteed. This documentary styled tale of obsession almost is completely void of character development and for some reason is better for it. The car chase is the crowning jewel of The French Connection and makes Steve McQueen's chase in Bullitt look like a foot race to the bus stop.

• Steven C

  
  "The French Connection" is a well crafted, influential cop film. While it didn't hold me in it's grip for most of the runtime, I can certainly see how it would have mass appeal. In fact, it was more interesting for me to trace it's influences across film… More
  "The French Connection" is a well crafted, influential cop film. While it didn't hold me in it's grip for most of the runtime, I can certainly see how it would have mass appeal. In fact, it was more interesting for me to trace it's influences across film history than sit through the film a second time. "The French Connection" was one of the films in the 1970s that ushered in American New Wave, delivering gritty, realistic cinema verite camera work in a mainstream Hollywood picture. I also loved that while the story was based off true incidents, it's still a completely fictional narrative. That was something totally new for the time, a film that bad one leg in reality and the other in fantasy- yet it was all delivered to audiences with a sort of documentary feel. William Friedkin paved the way with his film and it's effects have been far reaching. But in the end, "The French Connection" just didn't do it for me as a film. While I enjoyed watching the actors and the craft of the filmmakers, the story was simply not as engaging for me as I would have liked it to be. But that's just me and clearly "The French Connection" is a noble classic that still has pull today.

• Reid V

  
  Morally ambivalent cops, one of the finest chase scenes in movie history, and a jaw dropping ending are the highlights of this film. This coupled with the Exorcist make you wonder why the hell the rest of the Billy Freidkin canon is full of duds.

• AJ V

  
  This was a cool police detective drama/action movie. I really liked it, the story is great, and the actors are great too. If you like 70s police movies, you'll love it.

• Jennifer D

  
  God, I do love me some good old gritty, grainy filmstock work. I really do. I really loved the visual of the entire thing. The bluesy cold New York. The excellent light and shadow work. Call me a dork, but I did. I also liked the story and how it wasn't over Hollywood-ized. Not… More
  God, I do love me some good old gritty, grainy filmstock work. I really do. I really loved the visual of the entire thing. The bluesy cold New York. The excellent light and shadow work. Call me a dork, but I did. I also liked the story and how it wasn't over Hollywood-ized. Not to mention some of the most tense and long chase scenes. The car chase, which is raved about is of course fabulous. Even the tailing of Alain Charnier was very stressful and the awesome, nails-on-a-chalkboard type music didn't help with that.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Popeye. You still picking your feet in Poughkeepsie?"</i> A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a drug smuggling job with a French connection. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"Popeye. You still picking your feet in Poughkeepsie?"</i> A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a drug smuggling job with a French connection. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> "The French Connection" is an excellent film in every way imaginable. Gene Hackman (Oscar-winning) stars as a tough New York cop who is obsessed with stopping the flow of heroin into the city from France. Fernando Rey is perfect as the ring-leader of the smuggling. Tough, gritty, and realistic, "The French Connection" is an intense character-study that is never short on suspense or action. The film won five Oscars in 1971, including the Best Picture Oscar and one for William Friedkin's (only 32 at the time) intense direction. In a year that produced "The Last Picture Show" and "A Clockwork Orange", this film's win makes it even more impressive than it was nearly 40 years ago. Excellent.

• Conner R

  
  A great cop movie and one of the most surreal interpretations ever brought on screen. It displays the ugly side of police work and some of the not so glorifying aspects to the men on the job. Gene Hackman is amazing as Popeye Doyle, a racist yet good natured cop determined to catch… More
  A great cop movie and one of the most surreal interpretations ever brought on screen. It displays the ugly side of police work and some of the not so glorifying aspects to the men on the job. Gene Hackman is amazing as Popeye Doyle, a racist yet good natured cop determined to catch the bad guys. Friedken really takes advantage of his style and does a lot of the same techniques that made The Exorcist so effective. The seemingly unrelated stories are brought together beautifully, coming as a great revelation to the viewer. The sequences are done like no other film, they are drawn out and full of power. It doesn’t feel like an action movie, but a dramatic story with great moments of violence thrown in. I love the use of the shaking camera, it’s extremely revolutionary and brave for the time.

• Jeremy S

  
  Really, really gritty action drama with international heroin smugglers and a major drug operation. The spectacular car chase under the elevated train tracks is movie legend. I think this was Hackman's best performance.

• Stella D

  
  still terrific :D

• xGary X

  
  Tough New York street detective "Popeye" Doyle stumbles on a ring of drug runners planning to import heroin from France. William "The Exocrist" Friedkin uncompromisingly directs one of the great hard-boiled cop dramas of the 70s in what can be seen as the grandaddy… More
  Tough New York street detective "Popeye" Doyle stumbles on a ring of drug runners planning to import heroin from France. William "The Exocrist" Friedkin uncompromisingly directs one of the great hard-boiled cop dramas of the 70s in what can be seen as the grandaddy of popular TV series The Wire. Hackman shines as the flawed cop with a two fisted approach to investigation who is constantly wrong footed and outsmarted by his wily opponent. The gritty, documentary approach has a visceral realism, and makes for some of the most memorable action sequences of the era, especially the A-train car chase in which Doyle virtually destroys his commandeered automobile. Incredibly tautly directed and breathlessly paced, there is no room for soapy personal relationships or love interests, just a single investigation from inception to shaky conclusion. It ends a little abruptly and there is little time to invest any personal attachments to the characters but as cop dramas go, it's as hard nosed as a head butt in the face. Classic stuff.

• Daniel M

  
  1971 was a watershed year for cinema, bringing a string of films which pushed the envelope of what was acceptable and blew away the rose-tinted spectacles of the late-1960s. Sam Peckinpah took his particular brand of machismo violence to a new level in Straw Dogs. Stanley Kubrick’s A… More
  1971 was a watershed year for cinema, bringing a string of films which pushed the envelope of what was acceptable and blew away the rose-tinted spectacles of the late-1960s. Sam Peckinpah took his particular brand of machismo violence to a new level in Straw Dogs. Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange presented a dark view of British society and youth violence through a prism of intelligence, dark humour and moral relativism. And in Get Carter, Michael Caine gave his finest performance as the cool but cold-hearted Londoner who travels to Newcastle to brutally avenge the death of his brother. In worthy company to these landmark films is The French Connection, a gritty, gripping and realistic crime thriller that launched the careers of its star Gene Hackman and director William Friedkin. One of the things which The French Connection shares with these counterparts is its relative simplicity, at least from a narrative point of view. In dealing with such an important and controversial subject – the narcotics trade in New York – the screenwriters must have been tempted to dress the tale up a little, adding in more emotional and melodramatic scenes to create some kind of emotional appeal. If the film were being made now, the director would probably include a scene of Popeye Doyle actually getting hooked on heroin, experiencing the stuff he is trying so hard to stop, and maybe having a change of heart. While that would still be interesting and engrossing, it would spoil the earthy simplicity that The French Connection has in spades. The whole point of the film is to show that this kind of thing happens all the time; it’s not an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence, it’s a integral part of modern society. That’s not to say that the film, or any of its protagonists, condones the state of affairs we find ourselves in. In fact the film is driven by a character whose moral viewpoint is the precise opposite. Gene Hackman presents Eddie ‘Popeye’ Doyle to us as an impulsive, ruthless, driven individual who will stop at nothing to clean up the streets. We get no clues, in back-story or anything else, as to what has made Doyle do what he does in the way that he does it. We just have to accept it and let him justify himself as he goes along. Hackman gives a powerful performance, at turns engrossing, terrifying, fevered and funny, and he deserved his Oscar for the role. In a way, though, the power of Hackman’s performance hints at one of the flaws with this film. Hackman is so good, so on the money for every second he’s on screen, that his colleague Roy Scheider has little left to play with. Part of this could be down to Scheider’s acting, which is more understated and thoughtful (but not in a bad way), and part of it could be down to the screenplay. Much like his character in Marathon Man, there are moments where you feel that Scheider’s presence is either confusing or unnecessary, and that in moments the film would work better if it were just a straight fight between Doyle and Le Charnier. The pace and level of tension sustained in The French Connection is almost perfect. In Marathon Man most of the first hour seems inconsequential, with characters rapidly appearing and disappearing with no explanation; it’s only when we reach the dental scene that we start to get interested. In this, however, the set-up takes much less time and after the first half-hour the tension keeps rising and rising. The famous car chase is brilliant, because it feels like you’re really there: the shots of traffic around the car are done from the driver’s POV, rather than using a tacky rolling backdrop. The scene is so good and so tense that you think the film has peaked too soon. But no – the final scene is no washout, and it ends on a really good cliff-hanger (which was subsequently spoiled in the inferior sequel). The French Connection was and is a powerful, visceral film, and its influence, both visually and thematically, remains writ large. You only have to look at Ridley Scott’s American Gangster to see how well this has aged. It’s not flawless, but it has a cracking script, a great cast, a really good score and a wonderful sense of purpose about itself. The sense of integrity at the heart of this film, both morally and in its knowledge of its source, lift the film above previous crime dramas, offering the audience an experience which is simultaneously unsettling and reassuring. You’re shocked by the social malaise you’re presented with, but as long as Hackman is out there, even hyped up on adrenaline, you know you stand a chance of being safe. This is a great crime thriller with the moral darkness of a Western, and it deserves the attention of anyone interested in film.

• Anthony L

  
  Gene Hackman & Roy Scheider are great together in this classic! Hackman steals the show though as Popeye Doyle!

• Pierluigi P

  
  Gripping, frantic and viscerally realistic thriller with a formidable Gene Hackman as the hard-boiled law enforcer Popeye Doyle. <br/>Gritty ambiance, impressive performances, and one of the most staggering and tense car chases ever shot.

• Chris G

  
  The French Connection is a fast paced cops and robbers story about heroine being smuggled into the United States by French criminals. Detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) literally stumble onto the conspiracy and… More
  The French Connection is a fast paced cops and robbers story about heroine being smuggled into the United States by French criminals. Detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) literally stumble onto the conspiracy and the film follows the relentless pursuit of Popeye and Cloudy to bust the scheming smugglers and their American buyers. William Friedkin directs the film in a documentary style that, at times, makes you feel like you're riding right along in the chase. The crowning achievement is the car chase in which Popeye follows one of the Frenchmen who has highjacked an elevated train. It's not just the chase itself, but Hackman's reaction to the drive and how he reacts when it's over. Which leads us to Hackman's performance. Considering the guy was the ninth actor asked to play the role, it seems like a perfect fit for him. He lifts the role than the stereotypical cop in a cop movie. He's on a quest. He's almost like a machine in the way he chases and stakesout the Frenchmen. Hackamn's portrayal embodies all that. Roy Scheider is along for the ride as Cloudy. Even though he doesn't seem as obsessed as Popeye he still gives us a great character that's almost a ying to Popey's yang. the two have great chemistry together on screen. Fernando Rey plays the main French smuggler Chairnier, a man who is charming and, unlike most movie villains, doesn't really use violence that much. Rey gives the role that charm and that sense of diplomacy is more important to this man than bashing skulls- but he will if it's the last resort. The French Connection is another one of those gems that came from the 1970's and this one seems to have opened the decade up to the gritty New York saga that started with Midnight Cowboy. It deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture against some stiff competition (A Clockwork orange and The Last Picture Show being the two other standouts that year). Just as importantly it was one of the first films, along with Dirty Harry later that same year, that gave us the anti-hero, the good guy that doesn't always do good things. But they still got the job done.

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