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Movies / On DVD / The French Connection
The French Connection

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The French Connection (1971)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:43

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8.5/10

Consensus: Realistic, fast-paced and uncommonly smart, The French Connection is bolstered by stellar performances by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, not to mention William Friedkin's thrilling production.

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Released in the same year as Clint Eastwood's DIRTY HARRY (1971), William Friedkin's THE FRENCH CONNECTION marked the beginning of a new era of gritty, urban police dramas. Here, the theme of... Released in the same year as Clint Eastwood's DIRTY HARRY (1971), William Friedkin's THE FRENCH CONNECTION marked the beginning of a new era of gritty, urban police dramas. Here, the theme of tough-cop amorality serves a conservative demand for a police-state crackdown on the domestic chaos and subversive youth culture of the Vietnam War period. The film is based on the true story of two New York City police detectives and their investigation into a French heroin smuggling operation. THE FRENCH CONNECTION is perhaps best known for its infamous, masterfully filmed chase scene (influenced by Peter Yates' BULLITT) in which the lead policeman, Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman), recklessly drives a stolen car through oncoming traffic in pursuit of a sniper escaping by elevated train. The thrill of this crime drama is accentuated by director William Friedkin's early European influences, perhaps best represented by the handheld documentary-style visuals and Friedkin's claims that the Oscar-winning screenplay was frequently disregarded in favor of improvisation. THE FRENCH CONNECTION marked not only a significant change of course for his career, but also a stylistic shift that all of Hollywood would soon follow. [More]

Starring: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco

Starring: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Bill Hickman, Marcel Bozzufi, Frederic de Pasquale, Ann Rebbot, Harold Gary, Sonny Grosso

Director: William Friedkin

Director: William Friedkin
Screenwriter: Ernest Tidyman
Producer: Philip D'Antoni
Composer: Don Ellis

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 23, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • NTSC
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • Mono - French
  • Stereo - English
  • Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary William Friedkin - Director; Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider - Stars
  • Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
 
 
 
 

Reviews for The French Connection

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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well-acted, well-written and brilliantly directed film that could be recommended even to those viewers with little interest in history of cinema

Full Review Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/15/09
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews

Grounded in a gritty reality - and shot as such - it's still an action classic today that offers adreniline-fueled pacing without insulting one's intelligence.

Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
03/14/09
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views

With its deathless car chase, Friedkin's film became an instant American classic... [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
02/22/09
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Fascinates us in an almost perverse way, gripping us with its tension, thrilling us with its action, and troubling us with its dystopic view of American society circa 1971.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
02/20/09
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

A knockout police thriller with so much jarring excitement that it almost calls for comic-book expletives. POW! ZOWIE!

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
02/20/09
Jay Cocks
Jay Cocks
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
10/18/08
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

Packed with memorable set pieces, tense action and a great script, this remains a classic cop thriller, and boasts one of Hackman's best performances.

Full Review Source: Film4 | comment Comment
02/19/08
Film4

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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/19/08
Robert B. Frederick
Robert B. Frederick
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

William Friedkin’s symphony of long, sharp shocks is memorable for any number of sequences.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
01/18/08
David Fear
David Fear
Time Out New York

Popeye also earned counterculture points by mistakenly shooting a federal agent and exhibiting a conspicuous lack of remorse.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/28/07
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This 1971 thriller about a heroin bust is solid, slick filmmaking, full of dirty cops, shrewd operators, and slam-bang action.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/13/06
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is your typical cop movie with good performances from Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
12/02/06
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

An excellent thriller, with one of the best chase scenes in American film, that also revolves around a fascinating character, a tough, vulgar, bigoted cop, obsessed with his job, splendidly played by Gene Hackman in an Oscar-winning turn.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/03/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

An urban crime thriller which won undeserved acclaim for its efficient but unremarkable elevated-railway chase and its clumsy, showy emphasis on grainy, sordid realism.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 8 Comments
01/26/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
10/09/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

A good film, but not as great as some remember it to be.

comment Comment
06/14/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Cop drama with heft

comment Comment
03/24/05
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

The movie is one of the undisputed must-sees of guydom.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/09/05
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

Intense.

comment Comment
12/30/04
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

No review available.

comment Comment
12/28/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Latest News for The French Connection

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This week we recommend the fourth and final Futurama movie (Into the Wild Green Yonder), but only for diehard Planet Express devotees; otherwise, your new release options are... More...

February 13, 2008: Roy Scheider: 1932-2008
Actor Roy Scheider, who earned Oscar nominations for his work in The French Connection and All That Jazz, passed away of undisclosed causes over the weekend. He was 75 years old. More...

September 14, 2007: Interview: Picking Up on William Friedkin's Cruising
William Friedkin will forever be remembered as one of the legendary New Hollywood directors of the 1970s. Read on for our sit-down with the man who made such classics as The... More...

June 22, 2007: AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
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