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 drama, although the magnificent crime elements take center stage, including the car/subway train chase that has justifiably attained classic status. 

Director William Friedkin calls on his experience as a documentarian to shoot the film in an immediate and compelling manner that was revolutionary in its day, exploiting New York for all its gritty 70s glory.

 

It has lost none of its power.