The French Connection

A quite solid crime drama, skillfully directed, well-acted, and well-told. The fact that William Friedkin often used a handheld camera is certainly good, and the action scenes are much more authentic and faster thanks of it. Perhaps the runtime could have been a bit longer, as the ending felt very abrupt and unfinished to me. In contrast, some scenes seem somewhat unnecessary in the script and, with a gap of over thirty years, the film has also lost some of its attractiveness and directorial prowess. However, its quality cannot be denied, and Friedkin has already proven here that he truly knows what he's doing, as he would demonstrate several more times in the following years. (08/10/2005)

Here the rules of the genre were rewritten. Friedkin films action much more dynamically than was generally the rule in the 70s. The legendary “Popeye" Gene Hackman is precisely the type of stubborn cop who lives for his job and pursues his target like a bulldog. The ingenious chase on the subway is one of the best ever made, but the raw finale with the subtitles was literally murder. (02/16/2013)

It's a fact that even after 47 years, Hackman's elevated train chase still has huge balls. Friedkin always had the directing down pat, and along with The Exorcist and Sorcerer, The French Connection is a distinct creative imprint of the 70s. I was ultimately deterred from giving it the full rating by the overly intricate plot in the first half. The second half, on the other hand, is much more straightforward, more action-packed, and everything gradually makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, I never did completely shake the slightly confused impression from the first half. (11/25/2018)

This film is really well-edited, it has excellent pacing, great actors, but in order for me to rate it at maximum, I would also have to be entertained by the story. And honestly, the story didn't interest me that much. Not that it was completely boring, but I guess I was expecting more. However, William Friedkin made a truly excellent film with what he had. (08/11/2015)

Last month, I saw in the media the passing of the legendary director William Friedkin. I decided that besides The Exorcist, I should catch up on The French Connection as well. Is it truly an excellent film overall, or is it notable primarily for its brilliantly directed car chase? I lean more toward the former. However, the film isn’t without its flaws; I can’t claim that. At times, the pace felt maddeningly slow, with the plot not advancing significantly (it was sometimes extreme, I must say). On the other hand, films from this era often had this pacing, so I can’t hold it entirely against it. Overall, though, I’m satisfied. The Hackman-Scheider duo provided flawless entertainment, and their chemistry worked perfectly. And that endlessly discussed elevated train chase? It definitely stuck in my memory. Great scene. We’ll see what the sequel brings. Frankenheimer, the director of the next installment, is known for another outstanding chase scene (Ronin). For me, Popeye Doyle and his crew earn a solid 7.5/10. P.S. The use of various camera angles was timeless. I was simply amazed :) (09/07/2023)