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The French Connection

Play trailer 2:46 Poster for The French Connection R 1971 1h 44m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 93 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
New York Detective Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner (Roy Scheider) chase a French heroin smuggler.
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The French Connection

The French Connection

What to Know

Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide The Times (UK) 01/27/2024
Gritty, downbeat and, in Hackman’s “Popeye” Doyle, fronted by one of the most unlikely heroes that cinema had seen, this was one of the great films of Hollywood’s most creatively uncompromising period. Go to Full Review Ben Kern Minneapolis Star Tribune 05/16/2023
[The film] is neither a documentary nor a grim slice of life but simply entertainment -- violent and bloody, yes, but still the kind of action and suspense stuff that kept the pulp fiction magazine alive for years and still intrigues most of us. Go to Full Review Pauline Kael The New Yorker 07/29/2022
It's not what I want not because it fails but because of what it is. It is, I think, what we once feared mass entertainment might become: jolts for jocks. Go to Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm 03/22/2025
3.5/4
Rightly remembered for a pivotal car chase... Go to Full Review David Elliott Chicago Daily News 10/03/2023
The French Connection gives us suspense mixed with violence, and the cocktail is so volatile that you don't really care if the film is nothing more than two hours of fun in the dark. Go to Full Review Joseph Robinson Fish Jelly Films (YouTube) 08/13/2023
4/5
Filled with heart pounding sequences, The French Connection satisfies as a gritty crime drama. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jerod S @jeroduptown Mar 25 Maybe it's the early 70s style I don't resonate with - but Hackman's acting is on point as he chases down a drug operation. See more rex w @RT11010153 Feb 14 Gene Hackman plays one of the great characters in one of the greatest thrillers of all time. I have been watching "The French Connection" every 5 years or so since it came out in 1971. It is Still a masterpiece, See more MariofanAlex445 T @RT47678067 Nov 30 Gene Hackman goes nuts in this narcotics thriller. I loved it. 4.5/5 stars. See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Nov 20 I didn't really like it because it was hard to follow. I only watched it because I know it's famous. See more Michael M. @Mike29670 Oct 17 Excellent fast pace Nonsense action movie , based on tough cops working the streets of NY fighting heroine in the early 70s! See more Johannes S @RT64416087 Sep 24 Hackman as Doyle is the highlight of the movie. It's realistic and morally grey. But in my opinion, it's not as great as all the critics make it out to be. See more Read all reviews
The French Connection

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Cast & Crew

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William Friedkin

Director

Gene Hackman

Det. Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle

Fernando Rey

Alain Charnier

Roy Scheider

Det. Buddy "Cloudy"'Russo

Tony Lo Bianco

Salvatore "Sal" Boca

Marcel Bozzuffi

Pierre Nicoli, Hit Man

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The French Connection

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The French Connection

A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. The French Connection (1971) The French Connection (1971) The French Connection (1971) The French Connection (1971) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis New York Detective Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner (Roy Scheider) chase a French heroin smuggler.
Director
William Friedkin
Producer
Philip D'Antoni
Screenwriter
Ernest Tidyman
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
20th Century Fox
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 7, 1971, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Runtime
1h 44m