Product: French Connection [VHS] (1971)
Rating: 2.0
excellent movie, poor image quality
The French Connection was and remains an immensely entertaining cops and drug smugglers film. The movie is probably best remembered for Gene Hackman's manic car chase, during which Hackman appears to be oblivious to both his own safety and that of the citizens of the densely populated city he is sworn to protect. However spectacular that scene may have been, it was far down the list of the film's best moments. These come, ironically, in the slower scenes, such as the unauthorized stakeout during which Popeye and his partner doggedly pursue evidence against a suspected small time drug dealer. All in all, the film is an excellent portrayal of the gritty, dirty world of drug law enforcement.That's the good news. The bad news is that the print quality of the blu-ray disk is virtually indistinguishable in most scenes from a standard definition DVD. Worse, in some places (Particularly the night and low light scenes)the added definition of blu-ray actually seems to emphasize the graininess and soft focus of the film. In short it's a great movie but an inferior blu-ray product.