Product: The French Connection I & II (1975)
Rating: 5.0
A Nice Trip to "Poughkeepsie"...
The first time I saw "The French Connection" was on cable several years ago (as well as its sequel, available only in this box set), and despite being edited for television, it was an incredible ride. It's a movie that would be next to impossible to make today. You have a bigoted, brash police detective (Gene Hackman) as your lead, little to no explanation why he's the way he is, and an ending that is by no means a happy one. As much as that may be a turn-off to some, it's the obsessive nature of our main character that fuels this movie. It goes to such a high pitch that even an accidental shooting doesn't give him less than a moment's pause while pursuing his nemesis, heroin kingpin Charnier (Fernando Rey). This obsession fuels also the sequel, "French Connection 2" (a rather underrated flick, in my opinion), which takes place in France. Despite being a tad too long, the sequel manages to be quite impressive, culminating in a final chase which ends the film on a note that's almost as striking as its predecessor. Both movies have audio commentaries from their directors (William Friedkin on 1, and John Frankenheimer on 2), deletd scenes (on 1 only) and "French Connection" fans will get their fill with the two documentaries on the first film and the true story that inspired these two rather solid action films. While "classic" can't be really said about the sequel, "The French Connection" is a brillant, classic thriller that isn't afraid to leave it's viewers hanging.