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Rating: 4.75 out of 5
The French Connection is one of those films that is just WOW! Wow in every way, shape, form, and a true thrill ride. The French Connection is that old school movie that could survive today in this era of CGI and over the top action. It is one of those movies that combines the excitement of an action film with the mystery of if the cops will catch the villains in a cat and mouse game. The car chase scene is one of the best of all time. That scene right there set this movie on a whole new level. Even with that scene, the film is so good that we forget that the two main actors are trying to uncover a drug ring. Damn, this was such a good movie. The car chase, shoot-outs, explosions, fast-talking cops, and trying to get drugs in the country all set up a great film. A little history lesson, it was the first R-Rated movie to win the academy award for Best Picture.
I personally watched the French Connection before, but it wasn’t until the 2007 film, American Gangster, that I realized the two films were almost a continuation. Drugs were high and mighty back then, and it was interesting hearing the characters from American Gangster speak about the dope from the French, which was from the French Connection.
The story is almost a true story based on Robin Moore’s 1969 non-fiction book The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy. That book tells the story of New York Police Department detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, who uncover a multimillion dollar heroin ring. In the 1960s and 1970s, heroin or its street name (smack, Brown Sugar, Dope) was being illegally imported into the East Coast from France. Wine and heroin, a match made in heaven, to say the least.
Director William Friedkin, along with Ernest Tidyman, who wrote the screenplay, decided to take a crack at this story. Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Scheider) are Brooklyn-based NYPD narcotics detectives who often work undercover. They shake down much of the area looking for prominent drugs but seem to always come up empty-handed when they arrest small-time criminals. After a hard day on the job, the two decided to go for drinks at a club. While at the club, Popeye looks around the club and notices a table full of people having a great time with one of the guests being a “big spender” and his bride with a group of mobsters. Not liking what he was seeing and bored from the day, he decides to have Russo accompany him on a tail of the “big spender.” As they tail the person, they notice that the person and his bride continuously get in and out of cars throughout their drive home. The couple stops and enters a modest newsstand luncheonette. Not believing what they’ve just been through, the two detectives set up shop across the street to figure out the couple’s activity. The two detectives figure that the couple is Sal and Angie Boca, small-time criminals. As they continue to surveillance the couple along with gaining information from one of their snitches, the rumors around the city that a significant drug shipment would be entering New York. After earning an OK from their supervisors, the detectives soon realize that the more they investigate, the bigger the drug ring becomes. They soon realize that two Frenchmen are going to be the ones selling the drugs.
What sets this movie apart is the freakin’ action, thrills, actors, and that awesome chase scene. The first thing that makes this movie great is the action and thrill. The thrill of seeing the detectives trying to catch their target. The whole tailing Sal at the beginning of the film was a definite starter to this film. As you watch, you’re wondering why this dude keeps picking up and dropping off so many cars to get home. Then as they surveillance the group, that is when things pick up. The whole train scene with Doyle and Chanier. How Chanier jumps on and off the train as Popeye tries to not seem suspicious only to have Chanier outwit Doyle. I will say this, the violence is pretty intense for this movie. Cops getting shot and other people. I mean, a woman was pushing her baby in a stroller and BOOM! Gets shot by a hitman for no reason but being in the way of Doyle.
Let’s talk about that car chase scene. I’ve seen Bullitt, and that was a pretty epic scene. This car chase right here was something extraordinary. While chasing after the hitman, the hitman boards a train. Doyle commandeers a civilian car and gives chase as the hitman passes many stations. What makes this scene so epic is the simple chase that Doyle can’t pay attention to two things at once. As he is trying to follow the train, he must always look up once in a while, but when his eyes return to the road, he usually crashes into another car or trash cans or whatever. The car he took gets jacked up. What’s also makes this scene so good is the point of view. We see through the eyes of Doyle as he speeds through the streets along with the camera looking up. You know you are going fast down the road as the camera seems to be speeding past other cars. The scene ultimately ends with a hard crash and a death. Truly amazing!!
Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider are incredible in their roles. They were so good that it seemed like Friedkin went into a police station and picked them out amongst all the detectives in the precinct. Both characters are really, really rough around the edges, and seem to push the law to the very edge. They rough up anyone, especially the blacks, in a bar in Harlem. How they going to walk up in a bar, yell the N-word and mess up people stash. Not cool man! Yet, that is what makes this film work so well. They show the life of a detective. Always on edge, while trying to make a big bust, overworked from sh**y hours, and we know the pay isn’t that great.
Hackman is the star of the movie as the aggressive Doyle and plays him with such an edge. Want to talk about a person with ZERO f**ks given, Doyle is your man. He harasses and brutalizes people, is a straight-up racist, endangers innocent people during the chase scene, or even being shot at and somehow survives all of it. Hackman’s performance was so good that he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
The French Connection is an all-time classic and movie to watch that will definitely take you on a wild ride as two cops try to stop a significant drug shipment. Hackman is great in his role as Doyle, while Scheider provides the perfect partner. Stay and watch for the car chase scene as it propels the movie into another level.
