History Film / TheFrenchConnection

* JerkassHasAPoint: During the surveillance, the detectives note that Nicoli had a hooker sent up to his hotel room. Mulderig cracks, "We could've collared him right there." It's a sarcastic put-down of Doyle and Russo, but Mulderig's suggestion most likely would have worked. If the police had arrested Nicoli for soliciting a prostitute, they could have quietly sent him back to France with a "suggestion" that he never come back. Charnier would have certainly gotten scared and bolted. It wouldn't be flashy, and the police and the FBI wouldn't have a collar, but they ''would'' have blocked off a major drug supplier. They would have been better off than dealing the clusterfuck that ''did'' ensue.

* {{Corpsing}}: In character. When Doyle goes into his "picking your feet in Poughkeepsie" schtick, Russo has to turn away to hide his grin.

* BottomlessMagazines: Popeye fires more than six rounds at the end [[spoiler: when he accidentally shoots a federal officer.]]

** Prior permission for filming the car chase sequence wasn't obtained, which meant that the [[EnforcedMethodActing panicked reactions from passers-by were genuine]].

* ChronicallyCrashedCar: The front ends of the NYPD's 1966 Chevy Biscaynes are quite bashed up.[[note]] 1966 was the only year in TheSixties in which the NYPD bought Chevys.[[/note]] Justified for being five-year-old New York police cars.
** Then there's the Pontiac [=LeMans=] Doyle commandeers from a civilian for the chase scene (see FlashedBadgeHijack below), which ends up more or less totaled by the time he's done with it.
* ConspicuousConsumption / SuspiciousSpending: What tips off Doyle and Russo about Sal and his wife Angie being involved in drug running. Despite running a diner/lounge and making about $7,000 net a year, he owns two cars, a brand new Ford LTD and a 1961 Comet [[note]] The Comet was planned to be part of the Edsel lineup, but became an independant model after Edsel was axed, and finally was absorbed by Mercury in 1962[[/note]] (though the Ford is in Angie's name and the Comet is owned by his brother, a garbage yard worker), drops hundreds of dollars at high class restaurants and bars and wears very expensive suits.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In the sequel, Popeye is tailed by two French police officers. When he decides to lose them so he can enjoy Marseille, he gets kidnapped by Alain, who has him held prisoner for two weeks while forcibly getting him addicted to heroin, then overdoses him and pushes him out of car outside the police station. Popeye spends most of the film's remainder recovering from the overdose and addiction.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The [[http://home.wideopenwest.com/~gcockerill/1960_buick_023.htm actual car]] used in the drug smuggling ring, which took place between 7 October 1961 and 24 February 1962, was a (then new) 1960 Buick Invicta, and most of the heroin was hidden in the wheel wells, which are quite large on the Invicta, as well as the rocker panels as depicted. Because of the time that passed between the books's publishing and filming, it was changed to a newer luxury car, a 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III, because by 1971, a French film star was more likely to buy a Lincoln than a Buick. Popeye's car was also a 1960 Chevy Corvair, changed to a '68 Ford Custom 500, because NYPD was issuing detectives Fords and cycled out the Corvairs by that point.

* {{Sequel}}: 1975's ''French Connection II'', which has Doyle traveling to Marseille in pursuit of Charnier, finding himself a FishOutOfWater in the French city, and being forced into heroin addiction by Charnier's henchmen. Unlike the original, the sequel's plot is entirely fictional.

''The French Connection'', a 1971 crime thriller film directed by Creator/WilliamFriedkin, written by [[Film/{{Shaft}} Ernest Tidyman]] and produced by Phillip D'Antoni, is the tale of NYC cop Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Creator/GeneHackman) and his partner, Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider). One day, they stumble upon a huge shipment of heroin from France. The trail leads to notorious drug kingpin, Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey). {{Car Chase}}s [[HilarityEnsues ensue.]]

A classic piece of seventies Hollywood cinema, based on the true story of the two cops who would stop the drug trafficking between France and the US, it was a huge success, both financially and critically. The film won 5 [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscars]] including Best Picture, Best Director for Friedkin, and Best Actor for Hackman. Thus it would come close to winning the Big Five, but lacked a female main character. It also won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing and the car-chase alone is worth it.

* AnAssKickingChristmas / DidIMentionItsChristmas: Doesn't make a big deal out of it, but little holiday elements like Popeye undercover as a sidewalk Santa Claus, different store windows loaded with Christmas decorations, and the bitter winter cold continually pop up.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: William Friedkin mentioned that Gene Hackman cringed while saying Popeye's racist language.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Zig-zagged at the end. After [[spoiler: Doyle accidentally shoots and kills Mulderig,]] Doyle shows remorse whatsoever; he reloads his gun and goes right back on the chase. Russo, on the other hand, is horrified, and he clearly realizes that they've screwed the pooch royally.

* DeadfootLeadfoot: Coke, the El Train driver gets shot, causing the train to speed up.

* NewYorkCityCops
* NewYorkSubway: About halfway through the film, Doyle pursues Charnier in a subway station. Charnier manages to lose Doyle by repeatedly boarding and alighting from a waiting train until he and Doyle are on opposite sides of the doors when they close.
** And, of course, the ChaseScene has Nicoli trying to make his escape via an elevated line while Doyle pursues by car below.

* ChronicallyCrashedCar: The front ends of the NYPD's 1966 Chevy Biscaynes are quite bashed up.[[note]] 1966 was the only year in TheSixties in which the NYPD bought Chevys[[/note]] Justified for being five-year-old New York police cars.

* ChronicallyCrashedCar: The front ends of the NYPD's 1966 Chevy Biscaynes are quite bashed up [[note]] 1966 was the only year in TheSixties NYPD bought Chevys[[/note]]. Justified for being five-year-old New York police cars.

* EnemyEatsYourLunch: Nicoli casually breaking off a piece of the Marseille detective's baguette loaf to munch on after gunning him down in the opening scene.

* ShoutOut: The white straw hat in Popeye's back car window when he's on duty is to ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid

The film's success actually led to an odd little pseudo-SharedUniverse of films, mainly by virtue of being based on the same real-life case. The success of the film led to one true sequel, the entirely fictional ''The French Connection II'', with Doyle heading to Marseille in the hopes that his first-hand recognition of Charnier will help put pressure on the manufacturing end of the line. ''Film/PopeyeDoyle'', a [[RecycledTheSeries TV pilot movie]] was made in 1986, with Creator/EdONeill as [[TheOtherDarrin Doyle]]. ''Film/TheSevenUps'' is a SpiritualSuccessor starring Roy Scheider as an {{Expy}} of Cloudy Russo. Finally, in 2014 Cédric Jiminez made ''La French''[[note]]Called ''[[MarketBasedTitle The Connection]]'' in Anglophone countries.[[/note]], based on the same case, [[POVSequel but covering the events on the Marseille end.]]

* TheNoodleIncident: Mulderig resents Doyle for a past case (which we never learn the details of) when one of his hunches got another cop killed.

** ''Film/PopeyeDoyle'', a 1986 PilotMovie for a prospective TV series starring Ed O'Neill, picks up right where it leaves off.

''The French Connection'', a 1971 crime thriller film directed by Creator/WilliamFriedkin, written by [[Film/{{Shaft}} Ernest Tidyman]] and produced by Phillip D'Antoni, is the tale of NYC cop "Popeye" Doyle (Creator/GeneHackman) and his partner, "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider). One day, they stumble upon a huge shipment of heroin from France. The trail leads to notorious drug kingpin, Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey). {{Car Chase}}s [[HilarityEnsues ensue.]]

* FruitCart: Popeye crashes through some garbage cans during the car chase.