Stream it now The French Connection 1971

 

Average film. I know that everyone says that this is brilliant and it's on the AFI's 100 Best Films list, but personally I think it's just OK. While everything during and after the famous car chase is taut and exciting, the rest of it before that is mediocre and a little slow. Though this was one of the first "detective who will stop at nothing for justice" movies of it's time, there have been many since that have been better. "Dirty Harry" for example is a much better movie than this, even though it's central story and character was probably lifted from this film. Give it a look, it's worth checking out, but don't be surprised if you realize that you've seen better.

It felt like there was nothing bigger than police and crime movies in the 70's (if you don't count Star Wars). It was either cops or mafia or swindlers which seemed like the big attraction. So it's not surprising that a movie like The French Connection was as big as it was. And without question, it is good, real good. Considering that it's based on a true story and a real person makes it even better for me.

Basically Gene Hackman plays a tough cop with Roy Scheider by his side. He's a good cop as well, always gets his man. When he finds that one of the bad guys he tried to nail was involved in something larger and international, the stakes and the chase becomes even bigger. French drug dealing mafia.

I was first slightly uninterested in this movie due to the rhythm of the storytelling. But it slowly pulled me in and kept me fascinated. This action packed police story is really well made and it surprised me. I have always been a fan of Gene Hackman, but never experienced his oscar winning breakthrough role till now. What's fun to me is that the same year French Connection came out, so did Dirty Harry, both Hackman and Eastwood destined to work together on oscar material in the future.

Pretty much, this is a very 70's police thriller, and it shows. But don't let that get in the way of enjoying this quality film. Nor that the name of Hackman's character is Popeye.

An excellent film. I really liked the performance of gene Hackman in this one. I didn't know he was capable of that. ( I also really liked him in Unforgiven) and of course who can't like Hackman's hell bent pursuit of the hijacked L train? it set a precedent for years to come with car chases. a very good cop movie. i thought the end was interesting. I didn't really understand it at first. i mean, Popeye Doyle shoots one of the FBI guy's accidentally then he goes off screaming off camera and then all you hear is a gunshot. it was an excellent film. I loved it. the second of 8 perfect choices for Best Picture in the 70's (I liked Rocky and Kramer Vs Kramer but Apocalypse Now is a far better film than Kramer will ever be. I also need to see Taxi Driver before I make my judgments about Rocky)

Run of the mill thriller

I know nobody will agree with me, but I just did not care for The French Connection. It just seemed a little boring to me, but thats just my opinion. Gene Hackman is excellent though.

One of the best police thrillers your likely to see and that car chase is quite brilliant. The ending is a proper 'fuckin hell' ending aswell.

Simply GREAT just GREAT,GREAT Direction,GREAT Production,GREAT Acting.

The director filmed some of the head on car chase sequences live (!) in real-time traffic.

Directed by ghoulishly amazing director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, To Live and Die in LA) pumps out a chilling crime thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The picture is very sparse on dialogue but barely needs it, the scenes speak for themselves and the haunting score by Don Ellis left me speechless, especially at the climax of the picture.

Two tough police officers, "Popeye" Doyle (Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Schieder) stumble onto something bigger than their britches when trailing a few people. They begin realizing that there is a giant drug smuggling ring going through New York City by a bunch of French thugs. The opening scene of the picture shows a man getting blasted in the head by one of the Frenchmen in Marseilles, I suppose to represent their brutality and seriousness about the situation. At any rate it was an excellent way to start the picture and it got me sucked in.

As the plot thickens, the two get a serious kick out of listening in on wiretaps and they seem to be a bunch of suckers who love shenanigans but deep down they are serious cops who want justice against these smugglers. Numerous notable sequences come one after another as Hackman is chasing after the thugs. The main villain, played by Fernando Rey is amazing in one sequence in which Hackman has been trailing him for what seems like hours through the streets until he steps off of a train just to get Hackman to follow suit and slips back in as soon as the train doors close, leaving Hackman outside. The scene was amazing and I'm sure it was Friedkin's direction that made so many of these scenes memorable.

Another chase ensues when a man hops onto a train, blasts a police officer on the train and leaves Hackman to steal a civilians' vehicle, chasing the train tracks underneath whilst destroying this poor guy's car. He finally stops when he sees the man stumbling out and he blasts him in the back up a flight up steps, which is probably the most infamous still frame from the movie.

By the end of the picture the Frenchmen have been caught, the jig is up. They are staking out in a warehouse and a fight ensues where Roy Schieder blasts one of the Frenchmen with a shotgun. Hackman is hell bent on getting these men, considering how much he chased them; he was totally attached to the case and needed it solved to calm his conscience. Honestly this isn't really spoken in the picture, as I stated before the picture felt to me to be very brief on dialogue but yet the characters conveyed so much through the scenes without it that it really isn't missed and you can definitely get these implications just from seeing them in action.

The final scene is seriously epic. In the warehouse Hackman accidentally blasts an innocent cop thinking it was the main villain, who is still fleeing even though cops are everywhere. Hackman runs off into the darkness and all you hear is a single gunshot and the film ends. It does however, in my opinion unfortunately, add some epilogue stating how the Frenchman was never caught. I guess they wanted to leave it open for a sequel which was made, but I think the film could have been a perfect 10 if it didn't include that epilogue and simply ended on such a ridiculous mind bender.

As I stated earlier Don Ellis' score rules this picture from the beginning scene to the end. Sometimes these sort of things are almost meaningless in pictures or do not elevate it in any way, but Ellis' score is very chilling and keeps up with the quick paced tempo of most of the films intense action scenes and chase scenes. He really embodied the chases and the police officers' struggles in the notes, highlighting Hackman's frustration and inner angst against these criminals who he has sought to catch.

All in all The French Connection is a timeless, classic thriller that relies more on an amazing score and incredible direction rather than a compelling screenplay/script. The actors were incredible because they did not need writing to convey their emotions and to represent their characters. Just enough action, just enough chases and an almost perfect climax make this one a must watch.

What an amazing film. I waited months to see this film (it's bloody hard to find) and couldn't have been happier with it. Gene Hackman, as you all must know by now, was just stupendously good, it has the best car chase in cinema history, exciting, fast, a train, the ending is tense on a par with the final scene in Heat and Santa chases a guy down the street...now that's different.