The French Connection

The French Connection (1971) is William Friedkin's seminal look at a unique New York City crime fighter. It inspired a wave of gritty crime dramas, many of which best it: The Onion Field, Serpico, The Taking of Pelham 123. Friedkin's film still stands tall, however, not the least for Gene Hackman's excellent performance.

Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is a hard-nosed NYPD detective who has no problem strong-arming subjects or bending the law. Along with his partner Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), Doyle arrests several small-time drug dealers and gets a whiff of something even bigger. French crime boss Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) runs an international drug syndicate, and he's in New York to oversee a big heroin shipment. Doyle's investigation catches his attention, and Charnier assigns his top henchman (Marcel Bozzuffi) to take care of the meddlesome cop.

The French Connection was a game changer, grounding the crime genre after decades of hardboiled noirs and fantasies like Bullitt. Friedkin shows the daily grind of police work, tangling with red tape, uncooperative crooks, suspicious superiors and meddlesome feds. Popeye and Buddy swear, beat suspects, screw around with women and generally act like pricks. The criminals are both smart and well-connected, requiring mountains of evidence before the cops can even properly investigate. Catching them requires bending the rules, and even then it might not be enough.

William Friedkin's direction is excellent, depicting a Big Apple awash in drugs, corruption and decay. The big action scene, Doyle's mad cross-town pursuit of his would-be assassin, remains a thrilling, deliciously complex set piece that towers over its many imitators (Speed comes to mind). Several tense cat-and-mouse scenes are cleverly staged, with the urban sound scape and Don Ellis's intense score drowning out dialogue.

Gene Hackman shot to stardom here, playing one of cinema's most interesting policemen. Hackman makes him a credible, engaging cop, believably brusque and crude yet determined to do the right thing. Roy Scheider (Jaws) does fine work as Hackman's wingman. Fernando Rey is a memorably suave villain, and Marcel Bozzuffi's (Z) bumbling assassin makes a strong impression as well. Detective Eddie Egan, the real-life Popeye, plays a minor role.

The French Connection isn't the best '70s crime film but it's certainly a fine example. Bettered by a few of its contemporaries, it's nonetheless remains a classic.