X
- 1971
- R
- 1 h 44 m
- 1971
- R
- 1 h 44 m
Summary New York narcotics officer "Popeye" Doyle and his partner take on an international drug ring shipping heroin into the United States.
Directed By: William Friedkin
Written By: Ernest Tidyman, Robin Moore, William Friedkin
- 1971
- R
- 1 h 44 m
- 1971
- R
- 1 h 44 m
The French Connection
8.3
Where to Watch
Summary New York narcotics officer "Popeye" Doyle and his partner take on an international drug ring shipping heroin into the United States.
Directed By: William Friedkin
Written By: Ernest Tidyman, Robin Moore, William Friedkin
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
94
94% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
94
94% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The chase influenced a generation of filmmakers, and Hackman's Popeye Doyle put an indelible stamp on the archetypal burned-out cop who was to become such a ubiquitous presence in movies. [12 March 1999, p.16]
The French Connection is routinely included, along with "Bullitt," "Diva" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," on the short list of movies with the greatest chase scenes of all time. What is not always remembered is what a good movie it is apart from the chase scene.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 218 User Ratings
8.3
86% Positive
188 Ratings
188 Ratings
12% Mixed
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
2% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 218 User Ratings
8.3
86% Positive
188 Ratings
188 Ratings
12% Mixed
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
2% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
There is only one problem with the excitement generated by this film. After it is over, you will walk out of the theater and, as I did, curse the tedium of your own life. I kept looking for someone who I could throw up against a wall. [8 November 1971]
I'd seen moments from that chase for years, held up as an example of what makes the film great. And it is a great sequence. But it's even better in context, arriving after many scenes of false starts, wrong turns, and frustrating dead ends, like a brilliantly staged cat-and-mouse game on the subway involving Doyle and Fernando Rey's smooth French gangster. The explosions have even more impact when you first get to see the fuses slowly burning down...It's also what most imitators don't get. You can put together the most exciting sequence ever filmed, and it won't matter—or at least won't matter beyond the seconds it takes to unfold—if the material around it isn't there.
The French Connection is a knockout police thriller with so much jarring excitement that it almost calls for comic-book expletives. POW!, ZOWIE! The film has all the depth of a mud puddle, but Director William Friedkin (The Night They Raided Minsky's) sets such a frantic pace that there is hardly a chance to notice, much less care.
The French Connection is a film of almost incredible suspense, and it includes, among a great many chilling delights, the most brilliantly executed chase sequence I have ever seen. [8 October 1971]
The real problems, however, are that Friedkin's nervy, noisy, undisciplined pseudo-realism sits uneasily with his suspense-motivated shock editing; and that compared to (say) Siegel's Dirty Harry, the film maintains no critical distance from (indeed, rather relishes) its 'loveable' hero's brutal vigilante psychology.
I stated that "The French Connection" is one the best cop films besides "Dirty Harry." It shows that the experience of the true story of the cops who is hurting the streets of Brooklyn. The movie has it chills and suspence with the car chase.
Report
Frankly, this is one of the truly great American films of all time. Hackman is riveting, and the chase scenes are as good as their reputation. Awesome.
Report
Everything in "The French Connection" is remarkably well crafted, I'll give credit to that, but there is just nothing in it to hold onto. I would rate this movie a lot higher if it would have had something memorable in it, something that hadn't been already done. Something that would have separated it from all the other action-thrillers.
Report
I can't understand the reputation this movie has. It has an extremely misleading title, and gives you a very negative impression of the country. It's not my experience of France at all. It was such a lovely place when I spent my honeymoon there. I didn't see any drugs the whole time I was there.
Report
Production Company
Twentieth Century Fox,
Philip D'Antoni Productions,
Schine-Moore Productions,
D'Antoni Productions
Release Date Oct 7, 1971
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating R
Tagline The time is just right for an out and out thriller like this.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 5 Wins & 8 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Wins & 4 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 2 Wins & 5 Nominations
