French Connection, The (1971)
“Your hunches have backfired before, Doyle — or have you forgotten about that already?”
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
Response to Peary’s Review:
He notes that “Friedkin makes great use of sight and sounds of New York, wisely chosen locations, hand-held cameras, and natural light to give authenticity to this true story” — and that the “scenes shot in France, using French subtitles, give the film class, rather than coming across as pretentious.”
He points out while the “cops are brave,” “those like Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle… are too obsessive and sadistic to be considered heroes:”
… “and thus “make unique protagonists in the American cinema. We’re glad they’re tough enough for the dangerous job of narcotics investigators, but we wouldn’t want to cross the paths of these thugs.”
Peary adds that the “film has ironic humor, strong violence, [and] many exciting sequences,” with the most famous showing “Popeye racing his car after a bad guy on a subway” — which plays “like a terrific short film.”
So much has been written and produced about this award-winning picture — followed by John Frankenheimer’s non-GFTFF listed French Connection II (1975) (which I haven’t seen) — that I’ll just highlight a few more of my thoughts. While the film is a bit challenging to follow at first, this makes perfect sense given the context of undercover cops attempting to sniff out a lead without being seen; we get a strong sense of how many tedious hours they must wait while observing their suspects, without any guarantee of success.
The cat-and-mouse tensions between Hackman and Rey are especially enjoyable; their interactions on a subway car are classic.
… and the scene in which the cops look for a very-well-hidden stash of drugs is genuinely suspenseful. This one remains well worth a look. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
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2 thoughts on “French Connection, The (1971)”
A classic, no more need be said and definitely a must for FFs. Sadly, all streaming versions have been cut by Disney to remove one of Doyle’s racist tirades. Daft because his misanthropy is his defining characteristic and the film doesn’t endorse it. A good reason why hard copy discs (DVD, BD, UHD BD) are still the best way to watch films.
(Rewatch 1/28/23.) A no-brainer must-see, for its importance as an American classic. As posted in ‘Film Junkie’ (fb):
“Police emergency! I need your car!”
‘The French Connection’: The last time I saw this film was in 2014 – and I pretty much only posted a still from it here in Film Junkie. But seeing it again reminds me of how (relatively) seldom people revisit film history. More often than not, facebook is full of posts on the most current films – as though people mainly feel compelled to discuss what’s just been released… so they’ll have something to talk about ‘at the water cooler’.
I’m not saying that new films pale by comparison (though all too often they do). I’m just noticing an imbalance. For those who really love film, it can be just as important – and satisfying – to rewatch films that made a significant (and often personal) impact and that still hold up well.
‘TFC’ is a case in point. On its surface level, it’s just a cop flick. But the film’s power – what sets it apart – is how it’s put together; the art of its storytelling.
Rooted in fact, Wikipedia quotes the ‘Variety’ review: “So many changes have been made in Robin Moore’s taut, factual reprise of one of the biggest narcotics hauls in New York police history that only the skeleton remains, but producer Philip D’Antoni and screenwriter Ernest Tidyman have added enough fictional flesh to provide director William Friedkin and his overall topnotch cast with plenty of material, and they make the most of it.”
They sure do. Friedkin made the deeply inspired move to follow the documentary approach that Costa-Gavras had just used for ‘Z’, resulting in a bare-bones, you-are-there style which has aided the film immensely in keeping it fresh. Sealing the nail-biting deal are Gerald B. Greenberg’s razor-sharp editing (which won both an Oscar and a BAFTA award) and a score by jazz composer Don Ellis – which, in the first half and near the film’s conclusion, takes on the unexpected tone of a horror movie.
Of course, the film itself also took Oscars for Best Pic, screenplay, Friedkin’s minutely detailed direction and Gene Hackman in the lead. Some may wonder exactly how much ‘acting’ comes through in what Hackman is doing, esp. when his performance can be seen as one-note. A rewatch displays the amount of subtlety that infuses Hackman’s work.
To be honest, I have two minor quibbles, re: the car that’s ‘holding the goods’: 1) why is the last place checked pretty much ignored until the end? (there seems no reason for that); 2) how could the owner not notice somehow that the car had been completely torn apart and reassembled?; would it really look that pristine again after a savage breakdown? … But, again, minor thoughts.
Of special note is something Howard Hawks said to Friedkin before he started filming: “Make a good chase. Make one better than anyone’s done.” In ‘TFC’. Friedkin made several of those – both slow ones and high-powered ones. They stand among the very best in cinema history.