The French Connection

The French Connection released in 1971 and won Best Picture at the Oscars beating off the likes of The Last Picture Show, Fiddler on the Roof and A Clockwork Orange, as well as winning four more including one for its leading actor, Gene Hackman. I bring this up as this is a relatively straightforward police drama about a French smuggling operation in New York but at the time this was a cutting edge experience that offered audiences something new. 50 years on from its release, how has William Friedkin's drama stood over the test of time?

Hackman stars alongside Roy Scheider as two downtrodden NYC cops who stumble across a drug smuggling job and seek to bring it down through good 'ol boots-on-the-ground police work that is based on a true story. The New York we see here is a far cry from many of its locations today that have since been gentrified as we see a city in decay that would go on to inspire 2019's Joker and Owen Roizman's Oscar nominated cinematography gives this film such a stark atmosphere that perfectly sets the scenes for what follows. 

The trouble is that by a film receiving as many accolades as this did that I went in expecting something more complex and even dare I say, satisfying. We get many of the usual beats a police drama like this would typically offer but this is likely the curse of the film here being so influential today. Filmmakers and actors described Friedkin's raw approach as exhilarating at the time and this can still be enjoyed today, particularly towards the climax in one of cinema's best car chases. The cast are also on fine fiery form but the rest of the film might not leap off the screen as quickly to newcomers, aside from any cinephiles.

While acknowledging how the police feature in the news today, The French Connection is a fine example of the great, creative and gritty 1970s dramas the decade offered so very well. However, there are moments throughout where the pacing wasn't as sharp as I'd hoped it would be and the abrupt ending did hurt an otherwise thrilling third act, while leaving me with little interest in exploring the less successful sequel in 1975. That said, anyone with interest in exploring the history of films would surely find watching this worthwhile and appreciating its influence on cinema but it's not the easiest recommendation for a film that won Best Picture.