The French Connection

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2:46

The French Connection

R

1971

1h 44m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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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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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Mar 22

3.5/4

Rightly remembered for a pivotal car chase...

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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.

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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.

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MariofanAlex445

Nov 30

Gene Hackman goes nuts in this narcotics thriller. I loved it. 4.5/5 stars.

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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.

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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!

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Johannes S

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.

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Mitch C.

@MovieMitch Aug 24

One of my all-time favorites. Hackman as Popeye Doyle is superb and of course, there is no better car chase in cinematic history.

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alan g

@agenser Jul 11

Great crime thriller. Taut acting. Car chase scene in Brooklyn is nothing new. Drivers drive like that everyday. Killing transit cop and motorman and mother pushing baby carriage too over the top.

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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: Trailer 1

2:46

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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

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