A film which tells a story of deuce New York City policemen who come trying to intercept the heroin shipment coming in from either France; this is based on a actual, notorious "French Connection" trafficking scheme. It stars Gene Hackman as New York City police detective "Popeye Doyle", Roy Scheider as his partner, Sonny, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco and Eddie Egan, the real-life police detective in whom Hackman's character was depending. His realistic partner, Sonny "Cloudy" Grosso appears in the film, as well, as a FBI agent on the case (his "big" scenes are at the airport and in Washington, D.C., tailing Sal Boca (Lo Bianco) and Charnier ("Frog # 1").) The film was adapted by Ernest Tidyman from the novel by Robin Moore.

Though a cast finally proved to become one of a film's greatest strengths, Friedkin experienced problems by owning casting options from either a begin. He was strongly opposed to the guide of Hackman for the lead, & actually foremost considered Jackie Gleason and a Future York editorialist, Jimmy Breslin, who got never acted prior to. Even so, Gleason at a period was considered pack professional poison per studio when Gigot had flopped, and Breslin refused for behind the wheel of a car, which was needed of Popeye's character for an integral car chase scene.

A casting of Rey when a independent French diacetylmorphine runner, Alain Charnier (irreverently referred to throughout a film when "Frog One"), resulted from either mistaken identity. Friedkin experienced asked his casting director for the Spanish actor he experienced seen in the French film, Belle de Jour, who was actually Francisco Rabal, but Friedkin did non understand his title. Rey was instead contacted however did non speak the word of French. But, when Rabal was eventually reached, it found he spoke neither French nor English, & Rey was saved in the film.

A film is typically cited when containing one of a greatest car chase sequences in moving-picture show history, & car chases, by having elaborate stunt function, became de rigueur afterwards. the chase required Popeye securing a civilian's car so compulsively chasing an out-of-control elevated train, on which the hit man was trying to escape. Several of the shots in the scene were "real", therearound Hackman actually drove the car at high speeds across uncontrolled traffic & red lights, sustaining Friedkin going a camera from either the backseat piece wrapped in a rug for protection. the production team course received there are no anterior permission from either a city for such a unsafe stunt, & the sole precaution taken was to place a "gumdrop" constabulary siren on the car's roof & blare a horn. More shots taking part stunt drivers world health organization were supposed to barely miss hitting a speed car, however due to errors within timing accidental collisions occurred & were left in the final film. This car chase was parodied in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.

A moving picture established a careers of each Friedkwithwithwithin & Hackman, & was subservient in ushering in an era of neo-realist directors in Hollywood when you took a early Seventies. It was a number 1 R-rated picture to win a Academy Award for Best Picture (Midnight Cowboy had won in 1969, but it was X-rated at the time). It besides won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role, (Gene Hackman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Roy Scheider), Best Cinematography and Best Sound.

It was followed inside 1975 by a less-acclaimed sequel, French Connection II. Inside 1986, a television movie, Popeye Doyle, appeared.

Freidkin later attempted to outdo the "Connection" chase scene by owning the infamous backwards car chase within a throughway in To Live and Die in L.A..