150 Word Review: 'The French Connection' (1971)
He am what he am
William Friedkin's The French Connection is an iconic '70s thriller for many reasons, including the chase between a commandeered car and an elevated train roaring above the streets of working-class Brooklyn, a full-throttle action scene still celebrated for its kinetic energy today.
But what makes this grimy procedural unique is Gene Hackman's "Popeye" Doyle, the morally compromised detective hunting drug dealers in crime-ridden New York City. Doyle isn't a corrupt cop, no. He's not on the take, nor is he phoning it in. He's a racist and a fanatic—he's married to the job.
Plus, he's incompetent. Inept. Which makes him dangerous. Americans only see in black-and-white, even if the picture is in technicolor: we like our cops honest or crooked. Doyle is neither, he's just a hot-headed screw-up, a reckless idiot. His partner, played by Roy Schneider, is a better lawman who enables Doyle, which is how it is.
One Of Friedkin’s Best: 'Sorcerer' (1977)
