The French Connection (1971)
Director: William Friedkin Writers: Ernest Tidyman, based on the book by Robin Moore Stars: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi, Frederic de Pasquale, Bill Hickman, Ann Rebbot A hard-boiled New York cop (Gene Hackman) becomes obsessed with taking down a European drug kingpin (Fernando Rey) when he stumbles across a scheme to smuggle $32 million of heroin into the city. Popeye Doyle appears to have no life outside of his job, which he throws himself into with aggression, rage, and a single-minded obsession. We get a glimpse of where some of this rage may come from as Doyle and his partner (a terrific Roy Scheider) tail criminal figures in the scheme, watching the more powerful enjoy the spoils of their ill-gotten wealth; in a particularly telling scene, Popeye huddles in a cold doorway watching through the window of a ritzy restaurant as his targets enjoy a fine meal. This film is as much a character study of Doyle’s mental condition as a crime
