#16. The French Connection (1971)

DVD Synopsis: New York City Detectives “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) hope to break a narcotics smuggling ring and ultimately uncover The French Connection. But when one of the criminals tries to kill Doyle, he begins a deadly pursuit that takes him far outside the city limits. Based on a true story, this action-filled thriller, with its renowned chase scene, won five Academy Awards in 1971, including Best Picture, Best Director (William Friendkin) and Best Actor for Hackman.

The French Connection will always be remembered for its nerve-racking car chase through the streets of New York, easily one of the most exciting sequences ever committed to film. 

It is a time-honored action scene, during which there are plenty of close calls (I still don’t know how the car missed that woman with the baby carriage), and it retains such a high level of intensity from start to finish that I found myself more than a bit relieved when the chase finally ended. 

However, as great as this sequence is, I was equally impressed by how well the film works during its quieter moments, when focusing on police procedures. We follow ‘Popeye’ and Buddy as they tail suspects, listen in on wiretaps and spend hours on end sitting in their car during overnight stakeouts. 

I liked the way these various processes were shown in detail, and, despite being much more serene than other sequences, they were nonetheless equally as fascinating.