The French Connection: One of the Greatest Films of All Time
Flawless editing, pacing, style, writing, and characters...
Screenwriter: Ernest Tidyman
Year: 1971
Budget: $1.8M
Director William Friedkin’s The French Connection is one of the greatest films of all time. Highly influential and frenetic in pace, Friedkin’s camera captures the New York of the 70s as if you’re watching a documentary.
Friedkin focused on the gritty look and offered what it was like back in the 70s as the film took me to the streets and alleys, where he divulges all the secrets of one of the most famous cities in the world.Â
The French Connection consists of flawless editing, pacing, style, writing, and characters. Gene Hackman as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle is someone you can root for even though he’s far from perfect. And did I say that he’s someone who is also intimidating?Â
I guess when it comes to Popeye, what else is to expect? The guy does not have much of a life. But that’s what makes the character so believable. I don't think a goody-two-shoes would work, and certainly wouldn't drive a Pontiac at 70 mph through the streets of Brooklyn, putting not only himself, but other people, in danger because he wants to catch a bad guy.
The car chase has gone down in the books as one of the most realistic chase sequences of all time and I think it even kind of beats Bullitt, which is also one of my personal favorites.Â
It’s sad to see that French Connection kind of films are barely made by Hollywood, and while we did by way of Friedkin, we can proudly say that American cinema is damn capable of delivering greatness.