William Friedkin's The French Connection is one of the rare Academy Award winning films that belong to crime genre and one of the even rarer Academy Award winning films that earned reputation of cinema classic. Loosely based on the real events that occurred in 1960s New York, the plot deals with James "Popeye" Doyle (played by Gene Hackman), unrefined but street smart police detective who, together with his partner Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (played by Roy Scheider) discovers major international heroin smuggling operation led by French businessman Charnier (played by Fernando Rey). The French Connection is today best known for its iconic car chase scene that redefined the parameters of action genre, but its legacy could also be found in plenty of 1970s and 1980s Hollywood cop films that feature American rough blue-collar policemen against well-dressed and refined European crime lords. Film, which became one of the classics of New Hollywood, is nevertheless product of its time, reflected in the heavy atmosphere of urban decay and surprisingly bleak ending, as well as somewhat outdated musical score by Don Ellis.
RATING: 8/10
