The French Connection

Appearing on the majority of films to see before you die or the greatest car chases of all time and numerous other film reports, this movie is based on a true story of detective “Popeye” Doyle. With many Oscars including Best Director, Best Picture and a little golden fella for Gene Hackman for best actor. This 1970 classic starts a little slow for my liking but the story behind it was intriguing. Feeling like there will never be any action or even an attempt for action it almost feels as if you should just turn it off and look for a better paced thriller, maybe a more modern thriller.

While watching you think of nearly 40 years of remakes to the plot or even to the film and realize that in this case, the original really may be the best. Rob Scheider has a bit of a cameo but you don’t tend to notice as all your attention is focused on Hackman’s “Popeye”.

Clear cut, this film truly is not.  A botched previous case and many innocent people being killed with no questions or follow up slightly frustrates, but the ending was the worst. I am not going to ruin it for you but it will leave just a few questions that really you would like to be answered. Running at 99 minutes this film is a classic for a rainy day, cold winters afternoon. Must see before you die? I am not sure but see it and make up your own opinion.

There’s plenty of different DVD editions for this old classic.  If you want our tip, go for the Region 1, 2 Disc, Five Star Collection edition.  It features the following:

-Audio Commentary with William Friedkin, Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider
-Theatrical Trailer
-BBC Documentary “Poughkeepsie Shuffle,” “Making The Connection: The Untold Stories”
-Seven Deleted Scenes with Friedkin Discussion
-Still Gallery
-International Trailers
-Trailer For The French Connection 2