When I think of Gene Hackman, I think of three things in this order:
I don’t think of Hoosiers because, well, I’ve never seen it. That may be some sort sacrilege, and I have no excuse other than not having occasion or reason to watch it. Space Jam is my basketball movie of choice. No, this is not a good way to build credibility.
Though I had never seen The French Connection prior to viewing it for my crawl through AFI’s Top 100, I was at least aware of it through Gene Hackman’s image on the poster and the memorable hat he wears.
When I think of Roy Schneider, I think of three things in this order:
- Jaws
- Jaws
- Jaws
He’s in The French Connection by the way, providing the boyish counter to Hackman’s devil-may-care persona. Beyond those two, I didn’t recognize anyone else which can be nice, but I ended up having trouble remembering who was what. This could be an outcome of not paying real close attention, and I place some blame on the movie. Hackman was the only actor who could keep me engaged because, well, he was in all the good parts.
The French Connection is a pretty bland story by 2019 standards. It’s based on a book by Robin Moore which is fully titled The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy. I’d have to say selecting the French as the source of a drug smuggling kingpin would be bold if it wasn’t a “true” account, but maybe they were major players in the drug trade decades ago. To summarize the movie but by no means expertly, drug smugglers are trying to get a superior product across the US border to take advantage of, at a minimum in the movie, New York City’s narcotic market. Two cops, Hackman and Schneider, live for stopping the spread of drugs in their city and remain stalwart predators of villainy amid scrutiny and bad luck.
Everything plays out like you’d expect. There are stakeouts, high-speed pursuits, and shootouts. In one particularly entertaining and humorous scene, Jimmy Doyle (Hackman) and the primary villain, Alain Charnier, play a version of red light/green light with subway car doors. This leads to Doyle completely blowing any cover in tailing Charnier as he comically gets in and out of a subway car mimicking his quarry’s movements. It’s a somewhat absurd sequence given the film’s sober subject.
Aside from this, I did not find anything spectacular about the movie and would have to spend more time ruminating why The French Connection is on the AFI Top 100. It’s not particularly well constructed or paced nor visually appealing nor aurally engaging. There are five positives, however, I can take away from watching.
- I can say I’ve seen The French Connection.
- Gene Hackman is fun to watch and always looks grumpy.
- I really like Roy Schneider in Jaws – would have been nice to see more of him here.
- Watching this movie outside the context of the AFI Top 100 probably would have improved my perception.
- Director William Friedkin has an interesting filmography.
William Friedkin remained busy through the 90’s and 2000’s. Personally, I did not realize he directed three diverse movies for which I have fond memories. (Disclaimer: These movies are not necessarily good, but I appreciate them because of the associated experiences.) Blue Chips, Rules of Engagement, and The Hunted are very different movies encompassing a range of acting prowess from Shaquille O’Neal to Tommy Lee Jones. Without specifically looking, I would not have associated the director of The Exorcist with any of those three films. This serves as a good example of the fun surprises one can find when digging into a movie and those who made it.
The French Connection is an okay movie. If you are looking for something to watch, certainly give this one a go. There is a level of Hollywood pedigree tied to the film which gives it some gravitas in the pantheon of film, but The French Connection will not unseat more well-known and established classics from their perch.
The next movie isn’t one to fugged about at #92: Goodfellas.
HobbyScope 