To be honest, I have wanted to view this film for a very long time. I was always attracted to the mystery and the thrill it seemed to promise. It's definitely a movie people such as my dad remember and note as a good movie.
The movie stars Gene Hackman (Hoosiers, numerous other movies) and Roy Scheider (most notably Jaws) as two cops in NYC working the narcotics beat in the 1970s. Hackman is tough guy cop Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a reckless man who doesn't care much for doing things by the book and is relentless in his quest to bust more junkies. Schneider plays his more reasonable partner Buddy "Cloudy" Russo. Together they shake down low level junkies in bars hoping to get the glory of the big bust.
As the cops are cleaning up the city, they happen upon a low level criminal who seems to be involved in a large international drug deal with a French heroin magnate. The rest of the movie chronicles the cat and mouse game as the cops shadow, stake out, wire tap the involved parties as the "bad guys" try to close the lucrative deal in NYC.
The movie shows 1970's NYC as a gritty, dirty place with subdued colors. Along the course of the film, we begin to discover that the character of the cops matches that setting. Doyle is relentless in his quest to bust more criminals through any means possible. He is shown senselessly beating perpetrators during arrests and interrogations, pushing for wiretaps, shooting adversaries in the back, and being utterly destructive in the famous car chase scene. The things he does makes civil liberties attorneys drool with anticipation. Even his colleagues seem to think his results lack true impact and cause all kinds of collateral damage. He is a despicable character to say the least. In contrast, the French drug lord is suave, urbane, and sophisticated. He is very well dressed, cultured, and surprisingly well behaved. Therein lies the rub of the movie: Who are the good guys? Who the bad guys? And more importantly who do you want to win in this battle of wits?
The question presented to us as viewers is that old Machiavellian one of "Do the ends justify the means?" Can we do immoral things to punish and eliminate immoral people and activities (think US Patriot Act)? Perhaps the most shocking question posed is "How do you feel when you pull out all the stops (thus comprising yourself), but you still come up short?"
The French Connection is a sometimes thrilling look at the world of cops and criminals. The setting and characters are done well. However, I was really disappointed overall with the movie. The movie was sometimes very slow with all the stake outs and shadowing going on. Also I was not pleased with the ending because I felt it was very abrupt and incomplete. I don't think it's worthy of being on the AFI 100 list.
Movie Rating: ** -Bad
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