The French Connection

10/9/19711h 44m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Doyle is bad news—but a good cop. ~

Overview:

Tough narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle is in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a huge heroin-smuggling operation.

Director:

William Friedkin

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$1,800,000.00

Revenue:

$41,200,000.00

Key words:

drug dealer
new york city
police brutality
drug smuggling
undercover agent
gangster
heroin
marseille, france
paranoia
night life
attempted murder
drug mule
train hijacking
police stakeout
police pursuit
popeye
academy award winner

Cast

Gene Hackman

~ as ~

Jimmy Doyle

Roy Scheider

~ as ~

Buddy Russo

Fernando Rey

~ as ~

Alain Charnier

Tony Lo Bianco

~ as ~

Sal Boca

Marcel Bozzuffi

~ as ~

Pierre Nicoli

Frédéric de Pasquale

~ as ~

Devereaux

Bill Hickman

~ as ~

Mulderig

Ann Rebbot

~ as ~

Marie Charnier

Harold Gary

~ as ~

Weinstock

Arlene Farber

~ as ~

Angie Boca

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 1 year(s) ago
7
Though he's not top-billed here, I found it's Fernando Rey who delivers best in this brutal and authentic-looking story of trans-Atlantic drug smuggling. Popeye (Gene Hackman) and his pal Russo (Roy Scheider) are detectives in New York determined to bring down a network of cocaine importers who are bringing the lucrative white powder in from Marseille. They suspect that it's Charnier (Rey) who is masterminding the whole enterprise, but they can't pin anything down on him. He hides in plain sight, clad in cashmere with a distinctive hat and dining in fine establishments - but always beyond their grasp. He almost teases the increasingly frustrated policemen who stray ever closer to the line as they try to apprehend him. Will either of them ever crack? Hackman is on great form as the exasperated cop and the drip-roast effect of the plot development from director William Friedkin makes that even more potent, especially when coupled with the flagrant nonchalance of his quarry, with a powerful score from Don Ellis and one of the best city car chases you'll ever see on a big screen. Scheider does enough, and there are also quite a few effective supporting contributions from the likes of Ann Rebbot as Mme. Charnier and from the odious henchman "Nicoli" (Marcel Bozzuffi). Gradually we are exposed to the ruthlessness of both sides as the stakes become higher, life becomes cheap, and the denouement again offers us a degree of palpable realism as no simple or convenient solutions are provided. It's a quickly paced and gritty representation of life amidst a culture of addiction, dependency and quite a fair degree of innovation that's still as strong today as it was in 1971.