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Five Academy Awards (including one for Best Picture) went to this critical and commercial smash from 1971-- a tense, action-packed melodrama whose gritty, uncompromising realism raised the bar for police dramas and continues to influence them even today. Based on the real-life attempts by NYPD detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso to bust an international heroin-smuggling ring, The French Connection highlighted dependable character actors Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider as the top cops -- and its success made stars of them both. Hackman's Oscar-winning turn as Egan's fictional counterpart, the gruff and profane "Popeye" Doyle, remains one of the actor's most dynamic and best-remembered portrayals; his character's single-minded pursuit of French drug lord Fernando Rey still enthralls viewers. Doyle's crusade culminates in the film's unforgettable action set-piece -- a perilous car chase beneath one of New York's elevated trains that earned editor Jerry Greenberg a well-deserved Oscar for his split-second splicing. Director William Friedkin (The Exorcist), shooting on location, never lets his dedication to verisimilitude overshadow his storytelling sense, which is why The French Connection remains perhaps the most gripping urban cop thriller to date. The DVD sports scene-specific commentaries from Hackman and Scheider, and a full-length commentary from Friedkin; other extras include two documentaries (covering both the film's production and the real French Connection case), seven deleted scenes, trailers, and a photo gallery. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The gritty, fast-paced, and innovative police drama The French Connection earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (written by Ernest Tidyman), and Best Actor (Gene Hackman). Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Hackman) and his partner, Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), are New York City police detectives on narcotics detail, trying to track down the source of heroin from Europe into the United States. Suave Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) is the French drug kingpin who provides a large percentage of New York City's dope, and Pierre Nicoli (Marcel Bozzuffi) is a hired killer and Charnier's right-hand man. Acting on a hunch, Popeye and Buddy start tailing Sal Boca (Tony Lo Bianco) and his wife, Angie (Arlene Faber), who live pretty high for a couple whose corner store brings in about 7,000 dollars a year. It turns out Popeye's suspicions are right -- Sal and Angie are the New York agents for Charnier, who will be smuggling 32 million dollars' worth of heroin into the city in a car shipped over from France. The French Connection broke plenty of new ground for screen thrillers; Popeye Doyle was a highly unusual "hero," an often violent, racist, and mean-spirited cop whose dedication to his job fell just short of dangerous obsession. The film's high point, a high-speed car chase with Popeye tailing an elevated train, was one of the most viscerally exciting screen moments of its day and set the stage for dozens of action sequences to follow. And the film's grimy realism (and downbeat ending) was a big change from the buff-and-shine gloss and good-guys-always-win heroics of most police dramas that preceded it. The French Connection was inspired by a true story, and Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, Popeye and Buddy's real life counterparts, both have small roles in the film. A sequel followed four years later. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 024543163589
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Time: 1:44:00
• Sales Rank: 17,743

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Police Action Giftset
• Classic Crime Collection: Street Justice
• French Connection / Ronin
• Best Picture Collection
• Gene Hackman Triple Feature

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