The French Connection (1971)

William Friedkin’s The French Connection is a nerve-shredding descent into the gritty underbelly of 1970s New York, redefining the crime thriller with its documentary-style realism and relentless momentum. Gene Hackman delivers an electrifying performance as Popeye Doyle, a hard-nosed narcotics detective whose obsession with bringing down a French heroin smuggling ring pushes him to the edge of legality—and sanity. Featuring one of the most pulse-pounding car chases in film history, Friedkin’s Oscar-winning masterwork strips the genre to its raw essence, immersing the viewer in a world of moral ambiguity, razor-sharp tension, and breathless action.

Hard as nail crime saga with a blistering central performance. – Empire Magazine

It’s hard to imagine it now, but there are only two types of cop movie: pre and post-The French Connection. That’s how big it is. – Times (UK)