Principal cast
Gene Hackman as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, Roy Scheider as Buddy Russo, Fernando Rey as Alain Charnier, Tony Lo Bianco as Sal Boca, and Marcel Bozzuffi as Pierre Nicoli
Film 70 of 244 on the Screen Path
The French Connection
Doyle is bad news—but a good cop.
About the film
The French Connection at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1971 film at stop 70 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
Tough narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle is in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a huge heroin-smuggling operation.
Key craft credits
Owen Roizman (director of photography), Gerald B. Greenberg (editor), Don Ellis (original music composer), Ernest Tidyman (screenplay), and Ben Kasazkow (art direction)
- Director
- William Friedkin
- Release
- 1971-10-09
- Runtime
- 104 minutes
- Genres
- Action, Crime, and Thriller
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 25 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 25 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
25 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
Try Citizen Kane →Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.