French Connection

Original title: The French Connection

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

143K

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POPULARITY

Gene Hackman in French Connection (1971)

Play trailer2:48

4 Videos

99+ Photos

Cop Drama Drug Crime Police Procedural Action Crime Drama Thriller

A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

143K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 5 Oscars
- 22 wins & 13 nominations total

Videos4

Trailer 2:48

The French Connection

Clip 1:00

'The French Connection' | Anniversary Mashup

Clip 1:00

'The French Connection' | Anniversary Mashup

Interview 1:36

The French Connection

Video 2:34

Christopher Meloni Knows How to Spot a Good Cop

Photos191

+ 184

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
According to William Friedkin, the significance of the straw hat being tossed onto the shelf of the rear window in Doyle and Russo's car was that at that time it was a universal signal in the New York City Police Dept. that there were undercover cops in the car, on duty.

Goofs
As Henri and his associate are waiting for the Lincoln at the garage, the police are literally tearing the car apart before finding the drugs. Shortly after finding the drugs, Henri is told his car is ready. It would have taken days to put the Lincoln back together and it would not be plausible for the police to find an exact duplicate of the car and replace the drugs in such short time.

Quotes
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: You dumb guinea.
Buddy "Cloudy" Russo: How the hell did I know he had a knife.
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: Never trust a nigger.
Buddy "Cloudy" Russo: He could have been white.
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: Never trust anyone!

Crazy credits
The 20th-Century Fox logo appears in black and white and then slowly dissolving to color.

Alternate versions
The version released on first Blu-ray release features a radically-different color scheme from all earlier versions - it was recolored with the assistance of director William Friedkin. The second Blu-ray release features a color scheme more like all the previous versions.

Connections
Edited into The French Connection: Deleted Scenes (2001)

Soundtracks
Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon
(1969) (uncredited)
Written by Jimmy Webb
Performed by The Three Degrees in the club

User reviews445

Featured review

Amazing Masterpiece From the 1970s

"The French Connection" is an excellent film in every way imaginable. Gene Hackman (Oscar-winning) stars as a tough New York cop who is obsessed with stopping the flow of heroin into the city from France. Fernando Rey is perfect as the ring-leader of the smuggling. Tough, gritty, and realistic, "The French Connection" is an intense character-study that is never short on suspense or action. The film won five Oscars in 1971, including the Best Picture Oscar and one for William Friedkin's (only 32 at the time) intense direction. In a year that produced "The Last Picture Show" and "A Clockwork Orange", this film's win makes it even more impressive than it was nearly 30 years ago. Excellent. 5 stars out of 5.