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.
The
French Connection
has languished on my list for a while. After the unfortunate death of GeneHackman, we decided it was finally time to watch it. No offence to the late, great Hackman, but I could have gone a lot longer without doing that.
Gene
Hackman plays Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle, who’s supposedly some kind of hero – but,
to modern sensibilities (call it “woke” if you want, I don’t give a fuck) is
exactly the kind of cop who shouldn’t have a badge in the first place.
You know…
like most of them.
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.
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5
stars)
