Review of The French Connection (1971) by Chillindylan G — 08 Mar 2015

I've made no secret that Gene Hackman is one of my top-5 favorite all time actors. There are so many moving parts in this movie, and it moves at such a blistering pace that if you aren't really paying attention, you can get lost. First off, this film was made with every intention to be as realistic as possible. There were very little "extras" - the background folks were literally people just going about their everyday lives. The structure of the drug import, how it's tested, how exchanges happen, etc. - everything was accurate to the time. So, that gives it mass points to begin with. The story is very engaging and there isn't a speck of boredom or bogging down at any point. The dialogue is crass, vulgar, and very witty. Gene Hackman is absolutely on fire in this film, and his interactions/exchanges with Roy Scheider are top notch. There is a lot of stalking/following which effectively builds the suspense and intrigue. This film has everything you want in a good cop flick...pompous but smart criminals, obsessed/borderline delusional cop who has great hunches but cannot control his impulses, great chase scenes (the car tracking the train is shot beautifully), an end of movie standoff/shootout, and a superb ending with a little twist. Also, the good cop/back cop take ("I'm gonna bust you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie") is brilliant. This is just a great, great film.

Grade = 10/10.