The French Connection - Fact Or Fiction?

 

The French Connection was a dark little movie when it came out, and a gritty one at that. But what made it a hit, and ultimately an Academy Award-winning classic that seems completely timeless? It's a story of chance, skill, and a whole lot of dumb luck. And it's a story that we revisited with director William Friedkin for this week's Real Stories column.

As we celebrate the film's 50th anniversary, Friedkin joined us to discuss all things French Connection — from that famous car chase to behind-the-scenes myths and more. And with the film being honored by Turner Classic Movies this week, it's a great time to take another look at one of the greatest crime dramas of all time.

The film focuses on NYPD detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider), who investigate a narcotics case that makes international headlines in the early '70s. Rough around the edges, these rogue cops march to their own beat and are unafraid to push the boundaries of ethical law enforcement. But their pursuit of a smuggling kingpin is both a success and a disaster, and leads to some harrowing real-life consequences.

While The French Connection isn't the first film to adapt a real-life case into a feature, it's one of the earliest to capture the feeling and pace of on-the-street police work. And it's far and away the most successful — both commercially and critically — of its kind. Besides bringing in huge audiences, it won five Oscars and established both Hackman and Scheider as major stars. It's also a film that's had a lasting impact on how Hollywood approaches police movies.

In a way, the film's most important sequence isn't the one that takes place in a car or on a sidewalk but the sequence that happens offscreen. That's because the sequence isn't staged. Instead, Friedkin asked stunt driver Bill Hickman to double for Hackman and operate cameras as he drove through the streets of New York City in his Pontiac. To make sure the sequence was as authentic as possible, he took along NYPD detective Randy Jurgensen to vouch for them in case they got pulled over during filming.

That's just one of the many details that give The The french connection fact or fiction  Connection its unique feel and veracity. Another is that the film doesn't slap its audience over the head with its message; it lets them draw their own conclusions from the case's messy aftermath. The same can be said for Don Ellis's score, which isn't used to yank the audience into a certain emotional state and the way the film doesn't wrap everything up with a neat and tidy bow. It's a style of moviemaking that's become less common in this era of CGI spectacle. That's a shame, because a movie like this should be viewed more often than it is.