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      The French Connection

      R Now Playing 1h 44m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller TRAILER for The French Connection: Trailer 1 List
      96% 94 Reviews Tomatometer 87% 25,000+ Ratings Audience Score New York Detective "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner (Roy Scheider) chase a French heroin smuggler. Read More Read Less Now in Theaters Now Playing Buy Tickets

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      The French Connection

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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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      Audience Reviews

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      Daniel S I am in the minority but this movie, on balance, weighs in as average and highly overrated. Hackman is definitely hard boiled but the character itself has no depth. The result is tedious. The car chase scene is thrilling but far less suspenseful than, say, the car chase scene 3 years earlier in Bullett. Again - so what? Much of the action involves us watching hardboiled police either yell at each other or watch criminals. I found it to be a difficult watch much of the time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/25/24 Full Review Alec C Gene Hackman plays a hard-boiled detective on the trail of a dangerous drug smuggler in this intense crime thriller! "Popeye" Doyle has been pursuing Frenchman Alan Charnier and his drug operation, but soon his obsession with this criminal leads to some collateral damage. An intense and intriguing police story that manages to encapsulate the drug trade through both the cops and the criminals! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/19/24 Full Review ben j Great 70s crime thriller that has more than stood the test of time. Some scenes are as riveting and suspenseful as anything coming out today. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/02/24 Full Review Lanfranco C Watching it after so many years, it seems good, but a little outdated. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/24 Full Review Blobbo X Chase scene good for 4 stars. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/24 Full Review Tim M Boasting some of the best tailing sequences ever put to film, The French Connection is a grounded yet heart-pounding crime drama masterfully directed by William Friedkin. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The French Connection

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      The French Connection

      A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. A scene from the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. The French Connection (1971) The French Connection (1971) The French Connection (1971) The French Connection (1971) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (94) Critics Reviews
      Wendy Ide Times (UK) 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. Jan 27, 2024 Full Review Ben Kern Minneapolis Star Tribune [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. May 16, 2023 Full Review Pauline Kael New Yorker 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. Jul 29, 2022 Full Review David Elliott Chicago Daily News 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. Oct 3, 2023 Full Review Joseph Robinson Fish Jelly Films (YouTube) Filled with heart pounding sequences, The French Connection satisfies as a gritty crime drama. Rated: 4/5 Aug 13, 2023 Full Review Mark Johnson Awards Daily Embedded in the style and themes of classic film noir, The French Connection is a grim and relentless detective thriller that is celebrated as one of the most authentic films about police work (and features the greatest car chase in film history). Jun 8, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis New York Detective "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner (Roy Scheider) chase a French heroin smuggler.
      Director
      William Friedkin
      Producer
      G. David Schine
      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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