The French Connection (1971)

Look at the list of accolades doted upon William Friedkin's "The French Connection", then watch the film. You do this and then tell me something didn't go amiss. Don't get me wrong, it is a fine film and a very fine one as far as gangster thrillers go, but one of the best American films ever made? That might be a bit generous.

 A throwback to the private eye films of the 1930's and 40's, the story follows two New York vice detectives as they stumble into a major exchange with local drug lords and a suave French tycoon. Facing adversity from a workforce that doesn't take them seriously, Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Schneider) spend months climbing the intel ladder to track down the head honchos. It's a game of who knows what, who knows who, and who knows if who knows what. A labyrinth of names and places, the audience is left largely in the dark, only really grasping that two antiheroes should end up at a showdown with a genteel Frenchman.

I watched this movie and was perplexed as to how it garnered four of the five major Oscars, especially when it competed with films like "A Clockwork Orange" and "Fiddler on the Roof". To be fair, praise must be given where praise is due. Fighting against cliches as much as possible, Friedkin's film does not boast two lead characters who are the best at what they do, solving an uncrackable case. They are flawed and mediocre cops, particularly Popeye, whose recklessness has cost the force as a whole in the past. An angry, violent, lonely and not particularly skilled detective, Popeye must deal with his own shortcomings while trying to wrestle with the magnitude of what he might have stumbled across.

But after that there isn't much to be dished out. The characters, although unconventional, are not that complex; although they are performed well by Hackman and Schneider they aren't much of a stretch. They writing is nothing revelatory, nor is the story itself. It is a solidly made cops and robbers movie. In short, the foundation is sound, if not perfect.

Friedkin doesn't completely squander his ample talents, however. The film's claim to fame is in the perfectly choreographed sequences of the detectives tailing cars or people. Minutes upon minutes fly by as we watch them stake out locations, observe an abandoned vehicle or weave through city streets, deftly employing fictitious personas or stories to keep track of suspected criminals. One scene involving a chase on the subway has been ripped off by countless films since.

The whole thing culminates in an absolutely perfect chase scene in which Popeye recklessly drives a commandeered car through the busy streets of NYC, trying to beat a train to its next stop. I have no idea how long something like that wold have taken to plan, but its lack of generated effects and the hugeness of the whole scene is a wonder in itself. That right there shows Friedkin for the genius he is and the kind of effort he puts into work that is certainly inferior to his talents.

Like I said, the film is fine, it's just not great. It has moments of greatness, but that doesn't make a great film. As it carried on I vaguely felt that it seemed like an elevated version of poorer Hitchcock. Even the master of suspense chose bad material every once in a while, so I guess if I can equate one to the other Friedkin didn't do such a bad job in the end.

3/4