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The French Connection (1971)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
April 18th, 2009
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'The French Connection' is often remembered for its phenomenal chase sequence; Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) follows a train as it moves along its tracks above the city. He is trying to catch the elusive Charnier (Fernando Rey), who has consistently outsmarted him up to this point. Doyle is a crusty New York narcotics detective, known for roughing up people for information; he is a veteran of the streets, knows how to navigate even the most dangerous neighborhoods, and he is also a bit of a racist, bu is evened out by his more well-mannered partner, Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), also an experienced cop, who realizes that Popeye's tactics, while excessive, are quite effective, perhaps even crucial to their ongoing campaign against drugs. The film is based on a non-fiction book by Robin Moore, which described an elaborate drug trafficking scheme, where heroin was shipped to the United States from the port city of Marseilles, in southern France.
Charnier is the unassuming ringleader; he has the outward appearance of a genial businessman, but is a ruthless and clever criminal, planning to bring his high-quality heroin to America; he does so by stashing it in a car that is then imported by his friend, a prominent French actor named Henri Devereuax (Frederic de Pasquale). Doyle and Russo will shadow Charnier once he arrives in New York, but this is not until they locate some of Charnier's collaborators, like local hood Sal Boca (Tony Lo Bianco), who has mob connections, and wealthy lawyer Joel Weinstock (Harold Gary). Neither of these men know much of anything about Charnier or his operation; to them, he remains an enigma, a silent partner.
There is friction between Doyle and, well, every authority figure imaginable, including his superior Walt Simonson (Eddie Egan), and federal agent Mulderig (Bill Hickman). Mulderig likes to antagonize Doyle, who does not believe that he and Russo need any assistance from the government in handling this matter. But Charnier poses a unique challenge; I think you will remember the scene where Doyle attempts to corner Charnier on the subway, and Charnier enters and exits doors multiple times, until Popeye is left on the platform as the train begins to move, with Charnier waving at him.
The aforementioned chase occurs once Charnier sends his hitman, Pierre Nicoli, to eliminate Doyle; he fails, and Doyle pursues him, and this chase proved to be a template for many that would follow; it is one of cinema's greatest. It is intense and exciting, as Doyle weaves through traffic and swerves to avoid civilians, and then eventually shoots Nicoli in the back as he flees up a flight of stairs. This is another famous image. The ending helped to set up the sequel, which was directed by John Frankenheimer instead of William Friedkin, who won an Oscar for his work here, and would become even more widely known for his next project, The Exorcist.
I don't think a sequel was probably thought of initially, but the ending is ambiguous enough to allow for one; typically, in action movies, the hero kills the villain. We do not see that here. Charnier, after his botched deal, runs into a dark, abandoned warehouse. Doyle goes in to hunt him down, and fires several shots at something he sees moving in the shadows. It is not Charnier; I won't reveal the identity of the victim, but it comes as a surprise, since we fully expect it to be Charnier. Charnier presumably escapes, or does he, since Doyle fires one more shot, to trigger the closing credits.
We are told that Charnier was never apprehended, and that Doyle and Russo were transferred out of narcotics. This sets up the sequel nicely enough. Hackman won an Oscar for his gritty performance, not his best, but he made Doyle a cultural icon of sorts, and the character is tough and entertaining. Scheider, a few years before Jaws, is terrific as Russo, who plays well off of Hackman. Rey, a Spanish actor who collaborated frequently with Luis Bunuel, is absolutely perfect as the suave Charnier, who does not have much dialogue, but is subtly sinister without speaking.
My major complaint used to be with the music, but then I realized that maybe the score was supposed to sound that way, to symbolize the urban landscape, and Doyle's own unstable personality. Also, Friedkin apparently chopped up the compositions of Don Ellis, selecting only portions of them to use in the final version. Film also won for Best Picture, and, much as I love it, it was not more deserving of this award than The Last Picture Show; Clockwork Orange was also nominated.
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