IMDb > The French Connection (1971)
The French Connection
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The French Connection (1971) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 16 NEW)
The French Connection (1971) -- A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a drug smuggling job with a French connection.
The French Connection (1971) -- Detectives Doyle and Russo shakedown a bar where they have an informant.
The French Connection (1971) -- Interview: Gene Hackman "on filming the car scene"
The French Connection (1971) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The French Connection (1971) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   30,627 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
Ernest Tidyman (screenplay)
Robin Moore (book)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The French Connection on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 October 1971 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Crime | Thriller more
Tagline:
The time is just right for an out and out thriller like this. more
Plot:
A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a drug smuggling job with a French connection. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(34 articles)
The gutting of Miramax, Pt. II: Is this the end of New York movie culture?
 (From EW.com - The Movie Critics. 2 November 2009, 3:58 PM, PST)

Movie Art As Life
 (From CinemaRetro. 22 October 2009, 3:53 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
One of the 1970s best crime movies, and yes, that means one of the best ever. more (216 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Gene Hackman ... Jimmy Doyle
Fernando Rey ... Alain Charnier

Roy Scheider ... Det. Buddy Russo

Tony Lo Bianco ... Sal Boca
Marcel Bozzuffi ... Pierre Nicoli
Frédéric de Pasquale ... Devereaux (as Frederic De Pasquale)
Bill Hickman ... Mulderig
Ann Rebbot ... Marie Charnier
Harold Gary ... Weinstock
Arlene Farber ... Angie Boca
Eddie Egan ... Simonson
André Ernotte ... La Valle (as Andre Ernotte)
Sonny Grosso ... Klein
Benny Marino ... Lou Boca
Patrick McDermott ... Chemist (as Pat McDermott)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
104 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | French
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | South Korea:18 | Canada:18A (video rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (special edition) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (special edition) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Ireland:18 | Norway:16 (1972) | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16 (bw) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In France the last 2 or 3 digits (3 only on oversea counties) on the license plate referring to the Département the car is from. 13 stands for Bouches-de-Rhône (Marseilles) and 75 for Paris (Paris). The order in France is alphabetically. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Popeye Doyle is on the roof looking for the sniper, he sees him on the street below running full speed away from the building. Popeye has to run down about five flights of stairs, yet when he gets out of the building the sniper has made almost no distance whatsoever. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: Merry Christmas. What's your name, little boy?
Little Boy: Eric.
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: Uh-huh, Eric. What do you want for Christmas Eric? Hmmm?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Dallas: The Ewing Connection (#8.27)" (1985) more
Soundtrack:
Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
50 out of 69 people found the following comment useful.
One of the 1970s best crime movies, and yes, that means one of the best ever., 15 June 2003
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

'The French Connection' has really stood the test of time. William Friedkin is one American director who has almost been forgotten about, despite making some excellent movies like 'The Birthday Party', 'The Exorcist' and 'Cruising'. 'The French Connection' is his best movie by far, and one of the 1970s best crime movies, which means it's one of the best EVER. The lead actors are first rate, and the script by Ernest Tidyman ('Shaft') is a good one, but Friedkin makes this something special by applying documentary film techniques to this gritty and realistic detective story. 'The French Connection' was groundbreaking in this respect and influenced just about every subsequent cop movie, all the way up to contemporary TV shows like 'NYPD Blue' and the like. Gene Hackman is just terrific as Popeye Doyle. Hackman had been around for about ten years, and impressed many with his supporting role in 'Bonnie And Clyde', but this movie made him a major star. Along with 'The Conversation' and 'Scarecrow' it's still one of his most impressive performances. Roy Scheider was almost a complete unknown prior to this but he's also very good as Popeye's partner Buddy Russo. Scheider went on to some fine work in movies such as 'Jaws', 'Marathon Man', 'Last Embrace', '52 Pick-Up' and 'Naked Lunch', but never quite became the big name star that Hackman did. Bunuel regular Fernando Rey (cast by mistake after a misunderstanding, Friedkin thinking he was hiring a different actor!) and the underrated character actor Tony Lo Bianco, who had recently appeared in the cult classic 'The Honeymoon Killers', lead a fine supporting cast who really add to the movie's success. The exciting car chase sequence in this movie is now legendary, and is arguably the best one ever filmed, but there is so much more to this film than just that. 'The French Connection' is a superb movie, and still better than just about any similar Hollywood crime thriller made in the last few years. Highly recommended!

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The French Connection (1971)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Fat Thomas... ram14182
Car chase end - murder, pure and simple spirofantasio
over rated? Killakai
Why was the music so badly played? woodhead2
CAR CHASE !!!! richsass
Why was Sal driving the Brown Lincoln? luks-11
more

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