The French Connection

The French Connection was a 1971 police drama that won the Oscar for Best Picture and for it's star, Gene Hackman, the Oscar for Best Picture. This movie could serve as Example One of Hackman as the most underrated actor of his generation. Yes he won the Oscar here and received multiple awards but still when the list of greats is named Gene Hackman is never on the list.

In this movie Hackman plays Popeye Doyle, a Detective in New York City. He and his partner Buddy Russo, Roy Schneider, through a chance discovery in a bar, become suspicious of a big time heroin shipment coming into the city.

The movie begins with Alain Charnair, A Frenchman in Marseilles who is a major drug smuggler. With an ingenious plan to bring in over one hundred pounds of heroin he has made contact with Sal Boca, a small time hood who now is looking to make a big score. Acting as a go between between the Frenchman and Sal Weinstock a wealthy financier suspected of being linked to previous drug deals.

It takes awhile for the movie to come together, for the various plot points to all make sense. It does come together however. Schneider is very good in his role, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor, and Hackman easily deserved his Oscar.

A brilliant car chase in this movie, a race between Doyle in his commandeered sports car and a sniper taking refuge on a elevated train is one of the best I have seen.

As good as the movie was, and it was very good, I am not sure it is Oscar worthy. As it was based on a true story the ending could not be one in which we had a nice neat package. In real life that did not happen and it did not here. The movie, however was very influential, one of the first procedurals to have this level of grit and be rewarded. In fact it was the first R rated movie to ever win the Oscar.

I have now ordered French Connection Two and look forward to seeing how the story culminates.

A very good movie.