The French Connection [Blu-ray] [1971] [Region Free]

Love this film. Saw it about 40 years ago and watched it again a few nights ago. It stands up very well. New York looks exactly as I remember it in the 1970s - dirty, intimidating, raw but exciting. That also sums up Gene Hackman who was a man first and an actor second (so rare today!) He's very convincing as a tough cop operating in the margins of legality. The contrast of New York and Marseilles adds a lot to the film as do the 70s fashions, cars and street scenes. The direction is taught: the movie moves along at a good clip and leaves the door open for the sequel. Highly recommended.

.... well worth a watch

I have got to stop watching all the flashy modern rubbish! They are making old films look dull! I love The French Connection. Not as much as most I think but still, it's a solid film, well structured with great performances all round and some of the most bad ass standout scenes of the 70's! But.... this new transfer has slightly dampened it for me. I know I'm late to the party because it's a transfer from around 2009, but it's pretty awful! I watched the mini doc about the transfer on the second disc and I get what Mr. Freidkin is saying he's going for but he didn't achieve it. My TV has not been professionally calibrated but I think I know what I'm doing. Separate settings for 4K, HDR, NON HDR, 1080p, Games and they all look perfect. The regrading process is the same as many other films go through and they all manage to look far better so it's not just me! It just took me out of the feeling of immersion. Shame.Other than that the film is excellent and should be seen by as many people as possible.

I honestly don't remember ever seeing Gene Hackman in a film in which he didn't give a great performance and truly lift up the entire calibre of the film (he was even good as Lex Luthor in the appalling 'Superman' and the Reverend in the equally dreadful 'Poseiden Adventure', although both wree better than they should have been, with him in them).This film, though, had everything going for it even before he signed up and, with him in it as well it is just superb. I can't go through everything about it that is great because the list is too long, suffice it to say that he won the Best Actor Oscar for it, the film won the Best Picture Oscar, the director (William Friedkin) won the Best Director Oscar, and the scriptwriter (Ernest Tidyman) won the Best Screenplay Oscar. There's not a left to win, except Best Editing Oscar, and it won that too.

The thing I like about the car chase is that they fit it for real, so that beats all CGI rivals. I'd seen it when it was first released and like other movies of that era, action progress seems slow by modern standards. But I had to show my fiancée why I say "Poughkeepsie" to her if she plays with her feet

Let's get onto the blu ray review the transfer has been ruined with Friedkin's colour timing tinkering although over the last couple of years i got used to it but always wished the original un-tinkered version was released.There are lots of special features on this 2 disc set which will please fans sound quality is also good on the disc.Good news here for fans of the film Best Buy in the US has released a new blu ray of the french connection supervised by both William friedkin & Owen Roizman it is region free. I bought my copy off e-bay and the picture is miles better & worth importing.Update i noticed amazon are now selling the new blu ray of the french connection it has William Friedkin's signature on it the disc was released in march 2012.New Update the UK has released a steelbook version of the french connection and it has been confirmed it is the same transfer as the 2012 US signature series reviewed above.My advice would be buy the UK steelbook or the US Signature series if cheaper but avoid the UK 2009 disc at all costs.

Others have reviewed this great movie and its chequered Blu Ray release in more detail than I can. I'll just mention that director William Friedkin's experimental colour treatment for the initial BD release was widely regarded as an abomination, and eventually a straight version was produced which looks the way it should. It's therefore worth checking that you're buying this 2012 Filmmakers' Signature Edition and not the earlier one (note Amazon lumps all reviews for a movie together, so check which one I'm reviewing.)Yes, it's confusing that the "signature" refers to the same chap who messed it up the first time around.The movie itself is a classic tough-cop-who-won't-quit story based on real events (plenty of background and interviews in the extras pack, which is nice), and being a 1970's crime movie it doesn't mess around and ends abruptly. (Cue credits...)

I had not seen the movie, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, in a number of years and therefore decided to order a DVD copy recently. Once again, while both the police brutality and the international trafficking of drugs are most disturbing, it is the quality of the directing of the entire film that is so fantastic and certainly will never age.