Review of The French Connection (1971) by Tim S — 30 Mar 2012
What can one say about the brilliance of William Friedkin's masterpiece The French Connection that hasn't already been said? It's a fantastic cop drama, in the style of later TV shows like Homicide: Life on the Street, but it's also incredibly well-made and dripping with young director angst.
I love Gene Hackman in this film. He is so detestable. He's hard-nosed, racist and just flat out unredeemable, but yet you love this guy and wanna see him get the bad guys. Roy Scheider is also fantastic as his partner, but it's Gene Hackman who really steals the show here.
This film also belongs to what I refer to as the Holy Friedkin Trilogy, which is The French Connection, The Exorcist and Sorcerer, which were made pretty much all in a row. They're all masterpieces, and even though he went on to make the fantastic To Live and Die in L.
A., it's these three films that really make me respect him as a director. And this is a film I never tire of.
This review of The French Connection (1971) was written by Tim S on 30 Mar 2012.
The French Connection has generally received very positive reviews.
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