Films of the 1970s, No. 16

 


Throughout 2023 I'm looking at my favorite films from the decade of the 1970s. I'll be counting down from 50 to 1 throughout the year, posting a new installment each Friday. Agree? Disagree? Want to share a story? Post it in the comments below!

Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: All right, Popeye's here! Get your hands on your heads, get off the bar, and get on the wall!

The French Connection (1971)
Starring: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey
Director: William Friedkin
About: I love a good investigation film. This one, based on a true story, gives us that. It also gives us a fairly intense and iconic chase sequence. It pairs a director in Friedkin and actor in Hackman who made their marks in the 1970s. This is the first of two films for the director on this list, while Hackman already appeared once and will be in another film coming up. Here, Hackman gives a great and intense performance as Popeye Doyle. He's an iconic character in an iconic film from the decade. Scheider, who himself had a strong decade, is solid in a supporting role. This film won Best Picture for a reason and remains one of the most memorable films from the decade. It's memorable for me, too. I love the craft, the performances and the storytelling, which is in large part how it ended up on this list.

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