Movie Review: The French Connection (1971)

The French Connection (1971) is one of those movies that had me asking, “Who the FUCK wrote these reviews and what the FUCK movie did they watch?!”

I guess you could say I didn’t love it. Lol.

A few minutes in, I actually had to turn to Jay and ask him what the movie was supposed to be about because I had expected it to be some kind of spy thing (turns out I was thinking about Leon – which is another one we’ll be getting to.) Well, The French Connection is definitely not a spy thing. It’s just… shrug… copaganda.

So…

I did not love it. Lol.

Popeye is a racist. A sexist. He doesn’t follow the rules. He is entirely unlikeable in every sense.

You know… like most of them.

And Gene Hackman won an Oscar for playing him. (I’m not sure if that should be presented as a question or not.)

One of the most common things praised in reviews for The French Connection is how well it creates a sense of time and place and… okay. Yes, it’s gritty and harsh and makes you feel like you’re in 1970’s New York City. There’s no denying how effective the setting is and, yes, I can see how that would appeal to some viewers.

Me? It made me feel like I needed a shower after watching it, just to get the grime off.

Just because something’s done well doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable.

I know there was some kind of plot going on behind all racism and police brutality, but I wasn’t interested enough to shove my indignation aside long enough to find it. That’s on me. I went into the movie knowing it was going to an “of it’s time” kind of thing and I still let it bug the hell out of me.

The French Connection was directed by The Exorcist’s William Friedkin and stars Roy Scheider alongside Hackman so it ought to be better than I thought it was. I hope it’s better than I thought it was. Because I straight up hated it.

The plot is too weak to care about and the character development is non-existent. The setting does most of the work, being so busy and crowded and dirty that I had anxiety for hours after watching it – but setting can’t do all the work.

Verdict? The French Connection isn’t the timeless classic it’s sold as. It isn’t even an enjoyable experience. It’s a snapshot of a time that should be left long behind.