The French Connection
William Friedkin
1971 | 104 min | Colour | Digital

"Exploring the strange symmetry between policeman and criminal, Friedkin's Oscar-winning 'policier' codified the screen syntax for an entire genre of hand-held, off-the-cuff, obsessive crime dramas, most notably TV’s fecund Law & Order series. Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider are the simmering, cynical pair of New York detectives who single-handedly set out to stop Fernando Rey's dapper French drug smuggler from bringing a huge stash of heroin into Manhattan. Based on an actual – and eventually closed – narcotics case, The French Connection extends its startling documentary-style realism even into its incredible action sequences, highlighted by quite simply the greatest car chase of American cinema." – Harvard Film Archive

---

Part of our New Hollywood season