The French Connection Hello

 

The French Connection hello

William Friedkin's neo-realist cop drama was the first of a wave of realistic crime films that were to shape a generation of filmmaking. Lacking big stars, romance and moralising, it pushed against the grain of popular Hollywood filmmaking.

It also made Gene Hackman a superstar and set director William Friedkin on a path to becoming one of the most celebrated directors in cinema history. It's now forty years since it came out and it's still one of the best movies ever.

'Popeye' Doyle and 'Cloudy' Russo are a pair of ill-tempered New York detectives who have their hands full chasing down the biggest drug bust in history in 1971. Their target is Corsican kingpin Jean Jehan, who has been running an international drug ring in Corsica for decades but never been arrested. In fact, it was Jehan's role in the French Resistance to Nazi occupation that trumped any jail time he might have faced for his crimes.

The first half of the movie is a terse and exciting chase sequence that showcases the police's skill at chasing down suspects. In fact, you can almost feel Doyle and Russo catching on to the criminal's tactics so quickly that by the end of the first act they're already pursuing him at speeds faster than most people can walk.

While it's a wildly exciting ride, 'The French Connection' never lets us forget that this is a realism film at heart. The camera focuses in on the city streets and the surrounding architecture, creating a sense of immersion that would only come from a real documentarian's lens.

It's a great contrast to the usual mellow European sophisticate like Charnier who we see at the other end of the spectrum in 'French Connection II'. While 'The French Connection' retreads the same story, 'French Connection II' takes the narrative in a different direction.

When 'Popeye' Doyle and 'Cloudy'Russo finally The french connection tina catch up to Jehan, it becomes clear that the two cops are their own worst enemies. It's no surprise that Jehan has a way of outwitting them, but he does it in a manner that makes you rethink the roles.

I think that's really important in the film, that the characters aren't just good guys or bad guys. You know, a lot of these cops are bloodhounds and they can't let their flaws get in their way. But 'The French Connection' shows that it isn't always so simple, and that the 'good' people can also be brutally ill-tempered.

The movie also uses some of the neo-realist techniques that were gaining popularity in the time and it works very well. The street scenes are incredibly realistic and the camerawork is incredible. The scene where they stake out Salan, Angie's Place is just a great example of this.

If you're looking for a classic crime film, you've got to watch this one. It's not only one of the best crime movies ever but it's a truly authentic classic that will stand the test of time.