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The Making of the French Connection
The French Connection is a 1971 police thriller featuring the most famous car chase in movie history. Gene Hackman plays Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle, a racist trash-talking cop chasing drug smugglers between France and New York. The story is based on the life of actual NYC Detective Eddie Egan who broke a drug smuggling ring in 1961.
William Friedkin was a young, unknown director with four movies under his belt. After directing the unpopular gay-themed film The Boys In The Band, his career prospects were grim. He called the legendary filmmaker Howard Hawks for advice. Hawks told him, “People don’t want stories about people’s problems or any of that psychological shit. They want action stories.”
The French Connection was Friedkin’s entry into the action genre. This was the Vietnam-era and the movie reflected the murky morality of the period. The hero is gruff, unsympathetic and not afraid to shoot bad guys in the back. The villain is suave and likable and, in true anti-genre fashion, he gets away with his crime in the end.
The lead role of Doyle was turned down by a spate of Hollywood stars. Steve McQueen felt the movie was too much like Bullitt. Lee Marvin hated New York cops. James Caan feared the character was too unlikable. Jackie Gleason called the story depraved. Robert Mitchum thought the screenplay was garbage. Peter Boyle…
