Happy 50th Birthday to Six Classic Thrillers from 1971
From New York drug busts to brutal revenge in Newcastle, these thrillers look better than ever fifty years on.
1971 was a red-letter year for thrillers. Whether the thrills concerned police, stalkers, mobsters, serial killers, or deranged truck drivers, these are six of the best, all celebrating their fiftieth birthday.
The French Connection
William Friedkin’s riveting police thriller won Best Picture at the Oscars, and deservedly so. Featuring a stunning central performance from Gene Hackman as ruthless, brutal cop Popeye Doyle, fine support from Roy Scheider as his partner, and a splendid villain in the form of Fernando Rey’s fiendishly clever drug smuggler, The French Connection remains a tough, gritty masterpiece fifty years on. Ernest Tidyman’s spare screenplay (adapting Robin Moore’s novel) correctly eschews pretty much anything resembling a personal life in the lead characters, with everything you need to know about them inherent in the action. Owen Roizman’s vivid location cinematography is another big plus.
The suspenseful sequence where Doyle is outwitted by his quarry on the metro is justly celebrated. The L-train pursuit is even more celebrated, and constitutes one of the…
