Tweekums While narcotics detectives Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle and his partner Buddy 'Cloudy' Russo are out in a New York bar they observe some suspicious characters and decide to follow one of them, Sal Boca. They are convinced that he is up to nothing good and start a proper investigation. Meanwhile in Marseilles Alain Charnier is preparing to take a large shipment of heroin to New York. When he gets to New York he is quickly spotted and tailed by Popeye although it isn't long before he realises he is being followed. There is then a constant game of cat and mouse as the police try to link Charnier, Boca and others to a drug shipment… unfortunately finding the drugs will be far from easy.This film is rightly considered a classic; the central drama is exciting and the characters are interesting. Gene Hackman does a great job as Popeye Doyle; a character who is surprisingly unpleasant for a protagonist… I know social attitudes have changed since 1971 but many of his racial slurs would still have been considered offensive back then. He is ably supported especially by Roy Scheider as his partner Buddy and Fernando Rey as the dapper French drug smuggler Alain Charnier. The City of New York is effectively a character as well; this isn't a bright shining New York but a run-down city with streets strewn with litter and a general feeling of decay; all of which contributes to a great atmosphere. Fans of a good car chase should be pleased as this includes a classic as Popeye chases a train; it isn't a particularly high speed chase but the crowded streets give it a realism and intensity one doesn't often get. There is some violence and strong language but this isn't particularly excessive; at least by today's standards. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to any fans of the genre.

SimonJack "The French Connection" is a gritty, harsh film that looks at the underworld of drug dealing and efforts of the law to bring down the big narcotics dealers. This is an intense film that tries to show the real world of the drug scene in New York City. The R rating is serious, and many adults may find this film unsettling. It is a good film as a study of the subject, based on a book about two real New York police detectives in the 1960s. But it clearly is not entertainment. The screenplay has been fictionalized. The performances across the board are excellent. This film won five Oscars, including four of the five top honors. It won best picture for 1972, and William Freiedkin won as best director. Gene Hackman walked away with the best actor Oscar and Ernest Tidyman scored for the best writing of a screenplay based on another source. Only the best actress of the top five awards was missing – and that because there wasn't a major female role in the film. "The French Connection" also was the first R-rated movie, since the MPAA ratings began in November 1968, to win a best picture Oscar. As of this writing (January 2017), every best picture Oscar winner—except one, since 2004 has been an R-rated film. "The French Connection" also ushered in an era of new crime films. They deal more with the gritty, seedy and often crude operations involving the underworld and law and order. Some quick ones on the heels of this film were "The Godfather" in 1972, "Serpico" in 1973," The French Connection II" in 1975, and on through "Scarface" of 1983 and to the present day.These are far from family films, and many adults may not like them. I don't know that one would consider this film entertainment, but it is interesting. I watch such films occasionally because they show a side of a real world that most people don't otherwise see or know. They are disturbing, and that should be a good sign for viewers who don't want such a culture to flourish.

Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) Gene Hackman really put his acting chops into good use. "The French Connection" is a intriguing, high octane crime story. Hackman plays Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a hard-boiled New York police detective whose actions can get him into heat with his superiors. While doing his duty to bust drug runners in New York, overseas in Marseilles France, a drug smuggler is being used to smuggle in heroin in Lincoln Continental Mark III. Following the testing of the drugs, the the gang would make the move on distribution. The French team also went to auto auctions to find repos, so they can get their drugs into the open. Back in the precinct, there is animosity between Doyle and another officer. And Doyle and his partner Russo (Roy Schieder) go after the leader. My favorite part of the movie is the chase. One of the smugglers gets on the subway metro and tries to elude Doyle. The guy kills a train cop and a brave passenger. While Doyle was hot on his trail, he avoids every danger the best way he can. After the metro is wrecked, and the car Doyle drives in done in, both men make the move. But Doyle gets the guy in one shot. Detectives are tenacious on finding something, when they have the Lincoln stripped down, the others couldn't find any drugs. But when Russo asked about the weight of the car, they missed a spot. After finding out where the drugs are hidden, the two accomplices would find the car and get back into the business. When the French hit man finds out there was more than what he was bargaining for, he went back to France, wanting out of the deal. Then the shootout ensures. Very epic. This is before I was even born, and it was a hit. I'm a New York native, and my father worked with the NYPD. This is a keeper for a very, very long time. Enjoy The French Connection! 5 Stars! Gene Hackman plays it best!

PimpinAinttEasy Dear William Friedkin, The French Connection was a really gritty crime drama with the cops and drug sellers playing hide and seek in the backdrop of New York. Gene Hackman is tough and menacing as the alcoholic and lecherous cop. Roy Scheider's sober cop is a perfect foil and sidekick for Hackman's Popeye. Fernado Rey's high life as a sophisticated drug supplier is placed parallel to the low life of the two cops but their stories do intersect once in a while. The film looked a lot like a documentary. The visuals were stark and moody and there was hardly any light in many of the scenes. The editing was best described by you yourself, William. You said as an audience, you never knew what the next cut was going to be. The first running chase and Hackman's car chase of his potential assassin were both thrilling. Anurag Kashyap overdid it in Black Friday. This is my third favorite film directed by you, after The Exorcist and The Sorcerer. Best Regards, Pimpin. (8/10)