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The French Connection (1971) - Full reaction (Patreon)

Published:
2025-03-10 05:19:23
Edited:
2026-08-19 20:39:56
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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⚡Auto-Sync (Prime Video) | 🎬 Requests | 🍿 Pick-A-Flick | ▶️ YouTube | 💻 Watch/Download

Chase-a-rama-drama! This was fun to see a young Gene H. especially knowing this was his star performance and the oscar! It was very gritty though and have mixed feelings about the ending.

PS: subtitles for the French do not work on certain rentals. Ended up watching it on “fandango at home..."

Files

The French Connection (1971) - Full reaction - Popcorn In Bed

Watch the full reaction to The French Connection on Popcorn In Bed.

Comments

Zane From Canada

What a classic. Definitely check out the second one. The search continues.

The Sheeple

Part 2 is also worth watching

Just Plain Bob

Great movie loosely based on true events. The “Popeye” Doyle character was based on real life cop Eddie Egan, who also served as an advisor on the film. Gene Hackman, who admitted in interviews that he believed in the negative stereotypes about the police that were so prevalent at the time, said that making the movie (particularly his interactions with Egan) changed his opinion about the police. He also said that Egan was very upset about the scene in which he shoots the fleeing suspect in the back. Egan told him that he’d never do such a thing and he’d be prosecuted if he did. Finally, a note about the good guys not “winning.” The most recent statistics indicate that 1/2 of all homicides in the U.S. go unsolved. So the bad guys frequently win. https://projects.csgjusticecenter.org/tools-for-states-to-address-crime/the-accountability-gap-unsolved-violent-crime-in-the-united-states/

Tyler Foster

FYI, "You pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?" is nonsense. It's something Popeye says to criminals to get them riled up, like they should be worried he is going to get them charged with some additional crime they don't understand. His thought is that if he makes them afraid about this mystery charge, someone being interrogated will be more like to confess something true in order to get him to stop threatening them. In addition to FandangoNow having a version that is missing the subtitles (which used to be burned into the picture), you also saw a version that was mysteriously censored recently by a few seconds. It removes a scene in which Popeye makes some racist comments. The cuts were not made by director William Friedkin and on many other services, the film has been restored to included the missing dialogue. How that part makes the viewer feel about Popeye is up to the viewer.

Mark Vaderr

Glad you watched this movie, it is intense, and Gene Hackman is great. I understand how you feel about the ending.

Rose

Doyle’s sup: Walt Simonson was played by the real-life New York police detective Eddie “Popeye” Egan (who later became an actor). The car vs L train sequence was very dangerous to film and Gene Hackman did some of the driving and he said that he “tore up a couple of cars.” I realize that the book is not for everyone who wants to read about tedious detective work so found this very interesting The French Connection documentary https://youtu.be/dVevQ3rpyl4?si=W01VRL8TBCV3_BwH

Rick Rodriguez

Can't to wait watch both for seeing Cassie's reaction and my own personal love of the movie.

Rick Rodriguez

Frankenheimer at the helm! Part 2 is straight up fiction, but Hackman in part 2 is sooooooo great.

Old As Dirt Bert

Bill Hickman was the stunt driver for much of the car chase. He's more famous for the car chase in Bullitt (which Cassie should watch if for no other reason than it enabled many changes in cop dramas and action). He coached McQueen in driving skills that would be used in Bullitt, and then drove the car being chased. In French Connection Hickman did the dangerous drives and Hackman drove when his face needed to be in the shot. 2 of the greatest cop car chases ever on film, and both with the same incredible stunt guy.

Rose

Eddie Egan’s real-life partner Sonny Grosso also had a small role in the film and also appeared uncredited in “The Godfather” as a cop outside the hospital and mob courier. He eventually got involved in the entertainment industry working on projects such as popular 1970s cop shows “Kojak” and “Baretta.”

djKENTO

I know you’re on a trip so you probably already watched Enemy of the State, but if I’m wrong and you still ahve time, PLEASE throw in The Conversation before it. They’re so connected.

Darren Harrison

I watch 95% of the PiB movies on Fandango at Home, which used to belong to Walmart under the name VUDU.

Rose

“Taking of Pelham 123” (1974) / “The Day of the Jackal” (1973) / “Dirt Harry” (1971) are great cop films as well.

Night King01

Gene Hackman actually didnt want to do the movie because he didnt like popeye doyle as a character and felt he couldnt tap into that sort of anger and hatred. But it worked out.

Night King01

The french guy was actually Spanish actor Fernando Rey who didnt speak a word of french. He actually got cast by accident so he recited his lines phonetically while also having a majority of them dubbed over.

Mike the Ginger

I actually enjoy French Connection II more than the first! Hope you get to watch it!

Clay F

Google AI says that having English translation of the French in the English subtitles is important. Do you agree? Or is it really not that big of a deal?

Gábor Árki

Does anyone know which version Cassie reacted to? The original theatrical, or the modified, censored version that appeared 1-2 years ago? Edit: seems like she reacted to the censored version. The timer is in sync with the Blu-ray at the beginning, but at the end it fades black at 1:42:22 while the Blu-ray version has that at 1:42:40. Does anyone know how difficult it is to sync with the Blu-ray? I haven't found a clear answer how many changes have been made in this version, just that one entire scene is missing, and several other parts have been altered by either muting the audio or cutting out words.

Gábor Árki

Yes, it's important. But in the Blu-ray version, the English subtitles for those sections are embedded in the picture.

Just Plain Bob

I was disappointed that Cassie didn’t recognize Roy Scheider (Cloudy) as Chief Brody from “Jaws.” He reteamed with director William Friedkin a few years later for the movie “Sorcerer.” There’s no magic or wizards in sight; it’s a gritty suspense thriller remake of “The Wages of Fear.” I really hope it gets a reaction some day. Friedkin is best known for directing “The Exorcist”, which I believe is at the top of Cassie’s “nope list.” Finally, Cassie made reference to “The Untouchables”, specifically “Owl” Capone. I’ve heard her use that pronunciation before but thought I might have heard wrong. His actual name was Al (short for Alphonse) Capone.

Big Lazy Dragon

It's fitting that 'The French Connection' ended up being the popular choice for Cassie's tribute to the late, great Gene Hackman, as this was the movie he won his very first Oscar for.

Just Plain Bob

Cassie, “getting well” wasn’t a reference to the sellers or the buyers. It referred to the addicts that would be buying the heroin after it was cut. Heroin addicts that are in withdrawal suffer from the shakes, chills, nausea, diarrhea, etc. These symptoms abate once they get their next fix - they “get well.”

Clay F

As you may know, if streaming on Amazon Prime, there is no English translation of the French in the English subtitles or embedded in the movie.

David Bennett

I had heard of this film, Cassie, but until tonight I hadn't ever made time to watch it. Sure glad that I got to watch it along with you. Such a great film. I don't know if you recognized Popeye's partner in anti-crime, but that was Roy Scheider, who you and Carly saw in Jaws. I would also like to double down on my suggestion of a less well know Hackman flick called The Package: cold war espionage film, one of his best, in my humble opinion. Hope you and the family are doing well!

Clarence Newman

I noticed that on her last live video, Bob. It could be an accent thing, but she does seem to go out of her way to pronounce it "Owl".

Clarence Newman

Another of the things that made Gene a great actor. He was nothing like his most famous characters. On the other hand, if he'd been around at the time, Daniel Day Lewis would've fallen over himself to get this part.

Clay F

Agree that the movie is raw and gritty, which I like -- done well and fits the story. I also like the score, which adds to that. The movie does a good job of capturing 1971 Brooklyn. I wondered if you noticed that his partner was also the police chief in Jaws -- the guy who shot the gas cylinder to blow up Jaws. As you know, Gene Hackman received big time accolades for this movie, but he was first really noticed 4 years earlier in "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) [AFI Top 100] (his big break and in which he was nominated for Oscar for Best Supporting Actor). You mentioned The Poseidon Adventure (1972) -- I thought he was crazy good acting in that. I really like this movie -- Oscar for Best Picture and inclusion in the AFI Top 100 are well deserved. I also like Mississippi Burning (1988), which I believe has the kind of story that you would get into.

cfb0453 (Chris)

The origin of "pick your feet in poughkeepsie", is an unsolved case that Popeye had on his docket. A murder was committed in Poughkeepsie and the killer sat on the edge of the bed afterwards, took off his shoes and picked at the dead skin on his feet. Because the crime haunted Doyle for years after, he asked every single suspect if they had ever picked their feet in Poughkeepsie. Also, Cloudies Christian name was Sonny, so Popeye called him Cloudy just to stir him up. Don't know how Popeye got his nickname, maybe another Patron can shed some light on this. Otherwise, great reaction Cassie to a classic movie. Still one of the most accurate depictions of police procedures and the tough, often mundane, sometimes exciting yet always dangerous jobs that our law enforcement have to endure! R.I.P. Gene.

Thoko

Are we getting two winners to the Gene Hackman poll? Or did Cassie not like the winner of the poll?

Brian McGovern

I was actually looking online about Gene Hackman it would have been around the time he passed. I had a feeling that this would be the year we lost him.

Clarence Newman

No, she's watching both. She just watched this one first because it's a Gene Hackman starring role, while Enemy of The State is a Will Smith movie with Gene Hackman in it. This way, it's a far more respectful tribute to Gene.

Jacob King

A fun one to watch so close to Sicario. If anyone has sync issues I believe the version that Cassie watched had a line with the N-word cut out so it gets a head by about 30 seconds.

TheSingulatarian

"Alas" means "Unfortunately" with hint of regret. Not exactly what I think you were going for. The Oxford English Dictionary definition is "an expression of grief, pity, or concern".

TheSingulatarian

Roy Scheider in the "The Seven-Ups". Another great 1970s cop film.

Shehab Dawoud

The director William Friedkin also passed away not too long ago. His movies are known for their documentary style cinematography which makes them look more real life-like. We’re not getting ‘The Exorcist’ obviously but one of his movies which could be fun and appropriate with March Madness coming up, is ‘Blue Chips’ (1994). It has Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell and a very young Shaq!

Mark Pitta

I got to speak with the Director William Friedkin in Dave’s Laser on Ventura Boulevard once as he was signing copies of The Exorcist: the Version You Never Saw, and I asked him about the ending of the French Connection saying “ could you end a movie like that today?” and he said “No f-ing way !Now you have to tell them how to feel and have no loose ends and have a happy ending.” Ha! As Cassie would have wanted it. 70s movies always left it up to the audience.

Thoko

Ok thanks. That makes sense

Thoko

I hope you're not getting that feeling about any of our other cherished actors

Thoko

Hm... that could be challenging. It will make it hard to focus on the film if I have to keep checking for sync issues. Do you know roughly when that happens in the film?

Thoko

Why is it obvious that we're not getting a reaction to The Exorcist?

John Cranberry

Why is every version I download different to the version Cassie is watching. I can't sync it unless it's the same. 😡

Mojo One Thousand

It's not just Amazon, it seems to be all streaming services have trouble with this, and most of the time I've noticed it when they have a closed caption version of English rather than a standard English subtitled version. Some have closed captions some have both, and sometimes when you switch off the closed captions it shows the proper theatrical translations, and other not. It really is a mixed bag and has become a pet-peeve of mine with streaming services.

Mojo One Thousand

It is the censored version, and I think the version I watched was a blu-ray version. It was only about 10 seconds when prior to going into the bar for the first time, and once it was sync-up again for me it ran to the end fine.

MikeLL

Ahh, I wondered why Cassie had no reaction to that "word".

MikeLL

Specifically she is trying to coordinate an Enemy of the State watch with Carly, the logistics of getting her company is not always easy with schedules and such.

Mojo One Thousand

Closed captioning strikes again for Cassie... streaming services are very inconsistent with what they provide in sub-titles, at least what I have noticed with English. Any time they supply a closed captioned [CC] version, it typically means they don't maintain any foreign translation into English. And it may not be available even if they have the non-closed captioned English sub-titles. I have even seen different movies that don't have the theatrical sub-titles when the other sub-titles are off, and some that do maintain the theatrical sub-titles. The streaming services have created this weird inconsistent mess in this space. Don't get me wrong, I get why closed captioning is thing, and appreciate that it is done for the folks that need it... I just wish these companies would do it better. There are whole plot points that can be missed because of this. Cassie was following along okay, so I did hope she caught up on those scenes with the French dialogue. I will get off my soap box now... And, no love for "Chief Brody"... I was hoping she would recognised Roy Scheider from his work in "Jaws", but it has been a while and it may have been repressed.

MikeLL

Censorship.

SnabbKassa

Mine has hard coded subtitles. I forget how much of it is in French because I can think in French anyway.

SnabbKassa

There is a sequel that ties things up, but it's not very good and it's about half in French, so subtitles will definitely be needed.

MikeLL

Watched the first 50 minutes of the reaction, and alas the rest will have to wait until I got off of work much later today. I loved the gritty feel of the dirty, dirty streets of early '70's New York. They really didn't have the political will to clean the city up until the '80's or so. As someone mentioned, Friedkin did have a documentary feel to some of his movies, especially this one. I did kind of feel that some of the conversations amongst the cops didn't feel real, but felt like actorly improvisations, which I notice in a lot of movies when directors give free reign to their actors. It helps some aspects of the film, but I can really tell it is happening sometimes. Of course Cassie is not going to watch The Exorcist, but never say never, because this is good time to point out that The Exorcist, directed by the same filmaker as this film, is thus made by an Oscar winning filmaker. It is actually a very, very well made film and a film that is very well thought of in critics circles. It may have content that Cassie doesn't want to see, but it is a very high quality film.

Mojo One Thousand

Mine had hard coded subtitles as well, so it wasn't a problem for me. I have just had trouble historically with streaming services and subtitles.

TheSingulatarian

As 1/4 French Canadian shame on you. Frog is like the N word for French people.

Thoko

Its a shame that Carly is not a full time member of the channel

Mike Lemon

Yeah... no it isn't.

Clay F

She said in the text description above: "PS: subtitles for the French do not work on certain rentals. Ended up watching it on “fandango at home..."" I don't if know if that means that Fandango streams with English subtitles (or close captioned) that translate the French? I confirm that Amazon Prime (The French Connection available for free to stream for subscribers) doesn't. I watched without the French translated.

Mike Lemon

How is it not syncing? Is yours playing a little fast? That is probably a NTSC vs PAL thing, play yours at 96% speed (if yours is slow play it at yhe inverse of that. If you have a slightly different cut, just pause at the appropriate time and resync at scene changes.

TheSingulatarian

Freidkin movies worth watching. | Sorcerer To Live and Die in LA Bug

Just Plain Bob

@ Thoko, Cassie has a “nope list” which refers to movies she’s said in the past she won’t watch and certain types of scenes in movies that she finds abhorrent enough to put the related movie off limits. She’s said that “The Exorcist” is on her nope list. She also finds excessive nudity and on screen violence against children very off putting. However, her stance against “The Exorcist” seems to have softened in recent months/years, as she’s commented a few times something to the effect of “never say never.” While I don’t share Cassie’s sensitivities, I do respect them. No one should feel compelled to watch something they find objectionable. Unfortunately, some in the community take it a step further and actively try to spook her about some films so she won’t react, even going so far as to suggest she can’t handle a film after moderators have said that her husband (who surely knows her much better than any of us ever will) has said she’d be fine with it. Some of us refer to this as “white knighting.” I’ve noticed this mostly happens with horror movies. Their concern for her emotional well being disappears entirely when it’s a movie they like, such as “Only the Brave.” Though the movie left her crushed emotionally and anyone who’s seen it before would surely know that would be its effect, no one warned her about it, much less cautioned her against watching it. So, Cassie’s sensitivities have been used repeatedly to try to scare her away from movies some people don’t like, while also affording them the opportunity to virtue signal. Sorry for the dissertation, but I felt some context re: the “nope list” was needed - both its purpose/origin and some of the unintended results.

Clay F

Hypothetical scenario: If Cassie knew nothing about The Exorcist --- I mean absolutely nothing. DIDN'T KNOW THE MOVIE EXISTED before being mentioned for the channel -- had never heard the movie name "The Exorcist" -- had zero expectations. She didn't know if the movie dealt with an exorcism, but if it did and her being blind, she felt couldn't be any scarier than the exorcism of the young girl possessed by a demon in Constantine (2005). While technically not sure, she went into the reaction feeling with some certainty that "the Exorcist" if had scary aspects, was less scary than many October movies she had reacted to. SHE REALLY FELT IT WOULD BE NO BIG DEAL. She was comfortable as the movie "The Exorcist" started in her reaction. Distracted -- talking about her day -- laughing -- relaxed. No forced comments to indicate she was at ease when she wasn't -- but instead as the movie first scene played, she was actually AT EASE. In this hypothetical scenario that could never exist, I think she would handle "The Exorcist". Key would be the limited and mild expectations. Actual possible scenarios: She would be so worked up going into the reaction that the movie would be scarier to her than it should be. Though, maybe she's shown signs of toughening the last few months? Better able to manage expectations? She may be able to handle "The Exorcist" now. When I watched "The Exorcist" as a teenager, it wasn't scary b/c I didn't believe it real. Yet, she immerses herself, feeling it as real. However, with American Psycho, Sicario, and other recent tough movies, she seemed to manage her immersion? Who knows.

Cole Jennett

She calls it “Owl” Capone because they had a school pet called Owl Capone. Unless I dreamed that, ha ha. Also, let’s not forget that Cassie only watches these movies (for the most part) once, so actors and actresses that we all recognize from multiple viewings of our favourite movies, are very likely to go unrecognized.

JAKH

It is in the same category as "Limey" or "Kraut", and with a similar origin.

Joe J

@Just Plain Bob: An important distinction is that Cassie herself chose "Only The Brave", but some did warn her in the comments. It always works both ways, with those trying to steer her into watching disturbing films, and those who are white knights. It gets old either way.

Milton Reduxed

It's more like Rosbif for Englishmen

Mike Lemon

@JAKH, @ Milton- Apparently it comes from a lowland in France with a lot of frogs. The aristocracy used it to mock the speech of the lower class. Then the British ran with it. In that light "frog" is the equivalent of "hillbilly."

Clay F

The reason she reacted to this first is because Carly wasn't available this week to react to "The Enemy of the State."

Above Average Dave

Since the analogy was brought up, do the French use "Frog" in their hip-hop songs? (ducks)

Mike Lemon

I think you are both missing something, the difference between can and want. Cassie *can* "handle" The Exorcist, but she doesn't *want* to handle it. Some things are just bad for the soul and Cassie (and Carly) has put down that line she doesn't *want* to cross. I think everyone should steat respecting that.

Above Average Dave

One of my favorite movies, so I'm looking forward to your reaction, Cassie. This is also where Gene Hackman became GENE HACKMAN. Also, he's the only guy on the planet at that time who could've made that hat look like it belonged on a tough guy. Walter White resurrected the rif of "the hat" 40 years later, but Gene was the first.

Just Plain Bob

“The Last Detail” was Jack Nicholson.

Joe J

Hackman and Caine were always top of my list of actors...neither was a method actor like say De Niro, Pacino, and Daniel Day Lewis. Any approach that gets the job done I suppose, we the audience never see the preparation behind it all.

Alex Gorell

Not even closely the same bud.

Just Plain Bob

Cassie chooses every movie she reacts to, whether it’s on a poll or not. If it’s on a poll, she and her inner circle have made the decision that she can “handle” it. As for “Only the Brave”, I don’t remember a single patron comment suggesting she avoid it. Nor should there have been, for the reason I cited previously. The constant infantilizing has really grown tiresome.

Above Average Dave

But in my multiverse... I need SO MUCH more caffeine! Thanks, Bob!

Joe J

Safe bet the Dirty Harry films will get watched this year. As for the others, much lesser chance IMO.

MikeLL

I am not advocating for The Exorcist. I just find it interesting that Cassie has this impression that it is a film with really bad content, but doesn't realize that the film itself is a very well crafted movie by a highly regarded director.

Milton Reduxed

Fun Fact: Frogger was released as Jumper in France probably

Mike Lemon

It IS a film with "really bad content" *for her*. That is the point. She has set the line she doesn't *want* to cross and we shouldn't throw out "well, the director is good" or "it isn't that bad" in an effort to get her to cross it.

MikeLL

Again, I am not saying Cassie should watch the movie. You are arguing against a point that I am not making.

Just Plain Bob

My problem is that once you mentioned “The Last Detail” I had a sort of Pavlov’s dog reaction and now I have to go watch it again.

Mike Lemon

"but never say never, because this is good time to point out that The Exorcist, directed by the same filmaker as this film, is thus made by an Oscar winning filmaker. " Can you honestly say that wasn't a nudge toward that line?

MikeLL

Nope, not advocacy, but acceptance of reality. Will she ever watch The Exorcist? I highly, highly doubt it. I've been a part of this community for years, know exactly why she objects to it, and have told many people here in these comments and on her YouTube page so. Will never be watched. But the movie is on point here today because we are watching a film by the same director.

Clarence Newman

Further to Clay's hypothetical scenario, I would say that "handle" and "enjoy" are two very different things, and I don't think foreknowledge would have much to do with it. Most of us have long since agreed that she can "handle" pretty much any mainstream movie. As far as her enjoying it more if she had no foreknowledge, she and Carly went into Officer and a Gentleman thinking it would be a light rom-com drama with no foreshadowing of the darker content. No way did that *positive* expectation cushion them from the tougher elements of it, and the same would apply to The Exorcist. In fact, if we were to spring it on her like that, I would fully expect her to tear us a new one afterwards for not warning her of the content. (Although Cassie's version of that would be to lean forward with her brow furrowed in pained judgement of our heinous betrayal, look us in the eye and say, "Guuuuyyyyss!")

Above Average Dave

Me too. But now I'll have to insert Gene Hackman into the Nicholson role.

Stick Figure Studios

The director William Friedkin (who, incidentally, also directed THE EXORCIST) was a real maverick -- some could even say irresponsible -- filmmaker whose prior experience in documentaries helped him give THE FRENCH CONNECTION a real grounded, gritty and realistic feel (you may or may not have noticed the abundance of handheld camera work). They didn't even have permits to shoot in the New York locations for many of the scenes, so they had to film them quick and dirty before the police came and arrested them. This gives the movie a real energy and spontaneity that was fresh and new for its time. It's a fast, tense piece of work and for my money (with all due respect to the Steve McQueen's BULLITT), it does have the greatest car chase ever put on film (with at least one of the collisions in it not being planned). Hackman is, of course, superb and this is the movie that made him a star. It was also quite brave to make his character not so upright and virtuous. He is bigoted, impatient, abusive and reckless. Hackman had some qualms about some of these flaws but the director assured him that this was going to make Popeye Doyle all the more believable and compelling. Roy Scheider who played his partner Cloudy (and who you might have recognized from JAWS) is also terrific. Just a fantastic piece of cinema all around. So glad you got a chance to see it. :-)

Rose

Sonny Grosso also was uncredited in “The Seven-Ups.”

TheSingulatarian

Are you starting a Clint Eastwood Death Pool. Ironic as Clint Eastwood stared in the Dirty Harry Movie "The Death Pool".

Uncle Phoenix

Love this movie. Dennis Farina the actor, who was an actual Chicago Police Detective, has said in interviews that The French Connection and Barney Miller are the two shows that actually capture what being a big city police detective is really like. Can’t hardly wait to get home and watch this reaction to this classic.

Rose
>>167287734

I’ve seen many versions of the nickname origin. For example, I saw a snippet from the New York Times article which stated: “The 1971 film starred Gene Hackman as Detective Popeye Doyle, the nickname given to Mr. Egan by fellow detectives. He [Eddie Egan] chased some guy down an alley, and when he came back he flexed his muscles," recalled Mr. Egan's former partner, Sonny Grosso. "And we said, 'You can't get away from Popeye.'” Although Sonny Grosso has said that Egan’s nickname before the Robin Moore book and movie was actually “Bullets” because he enjoyed firing his revolver in the air for flamboyant effect. I admire LEOs for their tenacity and dedication especially for cold case files. (I was always into watching “Forensic Files”). A buddy of mine was a special investigator with the Air Force Office and told me some highlights of the job. He loved the job. However, the long commute to LAX was too stressful and he ended up at another gig that involved traveling the world.

Clay F

Clarence - many movies she reacts to she doesn’t really enjoy. Whether or not she will enjoy a movie has never been a top criteria and shouldn’t be. Can be a consideration but not a driving force. Mike, she has cross the line many times when she didn’t want to. Several October movies. Also, Apocalypse Now as a specific example.

Uncle Phoenix

Here is the story of a real French Connection. https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/cocaine-addict-who-changed-medicine-forever This doctor created the physician’s 36 hour work day. Apparently, it was due to his severe cocaine addiction, but hospitals and medical schools didn’t care why, so they kept it long after his death. His students always wondered why he only wore shirts made in France, and sent his shirts back to France for cleaning and ironing. They later found out that in every package of cleaned shirts was his supply of cocaine and later morphine.

John Drake

POPCORNS HERE! I fear Genes passing is only the start. The amount of iconic and legendary actors (now in their 80's and 90's) we will start losing over the next decade or so will be horrendous.

bgb1975 (Brian)

I love Gene Hackman, and appreciate how this was his breakout role and based on a true story, but as far as movies go, this was not one of my favorites of his.

Thomas Thompson

I think if you want more closure, you have to watch the French connection 2. They seem to have edited out the N word from this version of the film, which I rented on Amazon which I greatly resent. I understand it’s an offensive word, but sometimes real life is offensive and I’m more offended by people editing history for me.

Keith Brown

See French Connection II to get some answers to your questions left open. It will also open your polls to seeing more works of the sequel's director John Frankenheimer a great action director !!

JAKH

About the subtitles: This happens to me a lot. When a movie has English subtitles for non-English dialogue native to the movie (as you would see it projected in the theater), sometimes when you watch it on a streaming service with Closed Captioning on, you will lose the native format subtitles and either get nothing or a Closed Captioning of "speaking in XYZ language" or something similar. When this happens, you have to be ready to turn off the CC in order to get the native subtitles. This is erratic and unpredictable. A particular movie/show might suffer from this on one streaming service but not another, and one streaming service might have this effect on some movies/shows but not others. You just have to be ready to adjust when it happens.

zynjams

I hear the blues brothers while popeye is driving

JAKH

Poughkeepsie is a metro area on the Hudson River a little north of New York City in Dutchess County. There is a big IBM corporate campus there.

JAKH

Great car chases for Cassie to watch: "Bullit" (1968) Steve McQueen "Ronin" (1998) Robert DeNiro "Nobody" (2021) Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Lloyd "The Other Guys" (2010) Mark Wahlberg "Keeping Up with the Joneses" (2016) "Killers" (2010) She has already seen "The Italian Job" (2003 remake), but has Carly?

Chris Thom

Thanks never knew that. They used to mention it a lot on TV shows.

Chris Thom

Supposedly he didn't like his character all that much.

Chris Thom

Friedkin is such a cool director. He did grit and mess like almost no one else in the business. Exorcist, Cruising, Bug, Sorcerer...some truly gnarly films.

Jake McNulty

But she hasn't seen the original "The Italian Job" (1969) with Michael Caine.

Mike Lemon

Yeah, she learned about that with the Red Dawn reaction (I think that was the one).

Henry Graham

This is a brilliantly directed film, no arguments there, but I have never truly cared for it. I feel like the filmmakers were reaching for a sense of profundity and ambiguity with that ending, but I just don't feel it has any weight to it; instead it just feels unsatisfyingly loose. I think Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA is twice the movie that this one is, and I rate many Hackman performances and films higher - especially two that closely followed this one, The Conversation and Night Moves. In fact, although it has been a very long time since I watched them both, my memory is that I came away from Frankenheimer's sequel more impressed than I was by the original. Fewer fireworks, perhaps, but it feels like a bolder and richer character study, and one that stretches Hackman in fascinating ways.

Uncle Phoenix

This might sound weird; but I really like John McTiernan’s last movies; Antonio Bandaros in "The 13th Warrior” (1999) Pierce Brosnan in "The Thomas Crown Affair” (1999) and John Travolta’s “Basic” (2003) All three were box office flops. I am Very curious if Cassie would like them or not. Were these good movies that just didn’t do well; or were they just bad movies that didn’t age well?

MikeLL

Right you are, Clay.

Dean Holt

I personally could never really get into this, I was hoping after watching it again about 20 years later I might change my mind. But I still struggle to get through it and as Cassie said the ending is very unsatisfactory. Mississippi Burning or Bat 21 would have been a better choice Imo. But I really think you’ll enjoy Enemy of the State a lot more and I’m glad Carly is watching that instead of this movie.

Joe J

She should never watch any film that would cause her genuine distress and give her nightmares for months. I believe she has straddled that fence a few times already.

Rick Williams

First time watching this movie. I agree Cassie. Unsatisfying. Enemy of the State is better.

TheSingulatarian

Another dying northern industrial city. The only thing there is CIA Headquarters. The Culinary Institute of America. The rest of it is pretty run down. The Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library and birthplace is a few miles up the road and a Vanderbilt summer mansion that has been turned into a national park.

Clay F

Yeah, nightmares that stick ain’t good.

Canadianant

This was a first watch for me even though I was aware of it's legendary status. The pluses great chase scenes (can we get a Ronan watch?) and I liked the gritty 70s New York vibe. Hackman was good and this certainly started him off well. The minuses a bit slow I'm places ( really a product of its time) and yes it's kind of an unsatisfactory ending. Nice to check another classic movie off the list. Looking forward to enemy of the state with Carly.

ITMacPro

Continue the story in French Connection II (with Gene Hackman). Wasn't as successful as the first movie, but Gene is Gene.

Jacob King

It’s in the police station after the first opening chases sequence right before they go to the nightclub. It’s fine you just have to pick a high contrast moment to resync

Chris Thom

13th Warrior was one of the biggest flops of all time. I have no idea if it's any good or not. But it cost the studio a s--ton of money.

Chris Thom

Oh so there is some notable stuff there. I thought writers just used it as a random small town whose name was fun to say. Like Timbuktu.

Chris Thom

You pay a monthly fee? Or for each movie?

Chris Thom

I'm curious about Scarecrow. Apparently that was his favorite movie he was in.

Chris Thom

Think Carly can only film Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday. Curious if they ever watch multiple movies in a day.

Chris Thom

Clint Eastwood is really starting to show his age. Not to jinx anything. But Gene was practically unrecognizable the past few years, and so is Clint.

Darren Harrison

Across AppleTV+ (formerly iTunes) and Fandango at Home (formerly VUDU) I have a library of more than 7,000 movies that has been built up over 12 years. Since I started watching reactions there has only been one movie that required renting the movie (not counting the horror movies which I don’t watch)

Clay F

Maybe the stream on Prime has the same edit because I never noticed going out of sync.

Just Plain Bob

Chris, I saw “13th Warrior” when it was in theaters. It’s ok, but nothing special. The backstory is more interesting than the movie IMO. It’s based on a Michael Crichton novel called “Eaters of the Dead.” As I recall it from his semi-autobiographical “Travels”, he wrote the novel based on a bet with a buddy. He bet his friend that he could make “Beowulf” interesting. I had to read “Beowulf” in college and already thought it was very interesting, but whatever. “Eaters of the Dead” was the result of the bet. It bears little resemblance to “Beowulf”, so I don’t feel I’ve spoiled it. The book is better than the film, but that’s usually the case.

Clay F

I think Cassie would like and get into Mississippi Burning. Personally, I like Mississippi Burning (and The French Connection) much better than Enemy of the State. I will likely be skipping her reaction to Enemy of the State.

Clay F

I have nostalgia for "The 13th Warrior” (1999).

Clay F

Fortunately, didn't matter with Red Dawn. Such a bad movie. Would not have made a difference,

Clay F

The white knights and their constant infantilizing of Cassie (an intelligent adult) are truly tiresome. Quite the opposite, those suggesting she watch excellent movies (e.g., The Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, etc.) that are disturbing are the good guys here. Providing a good service. She expands her horizons, as she has stated she wants to. Makes for good reactions. She adds notches to her belt as she grows in her job as a reactor. Again, let me repeat: She is an intelligent adult.

Thoko

As a black man, my perspective is nuanced. I respect that everyone has their own personal feelings, so to you "frog" might be very offensive. But also, on a societal level I don't think it is the same. The N word is a tool of oppression, and is associated with colonialist abuse. The French have historically been one of the main oppressors of the world, especially to Africans. So its really not the same thing. Insulting a coloniser is not the same thing as a coloniser dragging an oppressed person.

bgb1975 (Brian)

Agree on Mississippi Burning. It's a better movie.

John Cranberry

I line up the film at the begining and check the ending to see if it matches. I have had to adjust the speed a couple of time, but I feel that the sensorship in USA is different to AUS. Anyway, I may have to cut and edit it a little before I export it as a MP4. This is what I do now. I use Director 365 to sync and export so when it comes to watch the reaction, it's all ready and plays like a normal movies with Cassie shrunk down in the botom left corner. I also adjust Cassie volume to make sure she isn't overpowering the movies dialogue. Cheers

JAKH

@Chris Thom Poughkeepsie is about 90 minutes N of NYC. County seat of Duchess County. Metro area pop. about 750k-800k. Not that small. Immediately north of NYC (Bronx/Kings County) is Westchester County (which has the highest per capita income in the US) and includes the cities of Westchester, White Plains (HPN airport), Rye, and Port Chester (if you've seen the movie "P.C.U."). Westchester Co. is mentioned a lot in TV shows set in NYC as the home of many wealthy people who work in NYC . Westchester Co. runs along the border with CT. Duchess County is immediately north/northwest of Westchester County.

JAKH

Cassie would like "The Thomas Crown Affair" remake (heist/investigation/drama), but probably should not waste reaction time on the others. If she wants to watch them on her own; (shrug).

JAKH

The point is that she doesn't need to hunt around for the movie on other streaming services, she just needs to turn off the Closed Captions to get the native format subtitles to appear. If she really wants to, she can turn CC back on when the non-English dialogue finishes.

Old As Dirt Bert

I forgot that Bill Hickman (the primary stunt driver) also played the stuffy Fed in the film. The Three Degrees were a real girl group whose biggest hit was "When Will I See You Again". That night club scene makes me nostalgic for the '60s night club scene where you and your date could see a different act at great clubs every week. Rock killed them because rockers didn't play to a bunch of suits. The last vestiges were casino towns like Vegas and Atlantic City

Mark T

I would love to see Cassie react to Serpico (1973). The French Connection reminds me of Serpico, another great 1970s NYC crime drama based on a real story. Al Pacino turns in an Oscar-nominated performance for his portrayal of the title character. Serpico more accurately portrays the real-life events of the movie, whereas The French Connection is more loosely based on its own story. Also, I think Serpico is a better watch than The French Connection.

Eddie Perkins

I knew Cassie would love that happy ending. I was hoping for Mississippi Burning, but I didn't mind this. It's a classic, and I believe in watching all the classics. But what do I know? I'll stay here watching movies, "picking my feet." what does that even mean?

TheSingulatarian

The only thing I remember about the "Three Degrees" is that they showed up on an episode of "Sanford and Son". I was never quite sure if they were a real group, or something just created for that episode. Now I know.

TheSingulatarian

The studio didn't like the end of the movie so they brought the author of the book Michael Chritton in to direct a new ending. This ballooned the budget. It is an interesting idea. Loosely based on Beowulf . It did connect with audiences, but it isn't a bad movie.

TheSingulatarian

PCU was based on Wesleyan University located in Middletown, Connecticut.

Dean Holt

Clay, No problem with you not being a fan of EotS, as we all enjoyed different things. I personally think it’s a very good acton thriller and it’s non stop throughout the film also yes it might not be the best movie Hackman been in but I think he make a great impression on the film. It’s also done my one of my favourite directors Tony Scott. Really think he was underrated as every film I’ve seen he’s done I’ve really liked (only 3 movies I haven’t seen). Regards to Mississippi Burning yeah I think Cassie will like it but it could be a hard watch at times.

Dean Holt

Really liked the 13th Warrior when it came out (it didn’t deserve the flop), yes it’s kinda like a seventh samurai story but with Vikings, but it’s still fun to watch as I rewatch it last year and I thought it held up ok. One of my favourite Banderas movies is Desperado.

JAKH

It was _filmed_ at Wesleyan. But in the movie it is "Port Chester University".

MikeLL

I never knew that was The Three Degrees. I always just focused on how bad that song was. But the group was good. In between all the hard rock albums I bought at that time, like Zeppelin and the The Who, I did own the 45 single of When Will I See You Again. A real earworm.

Uncle Phoenix

@Chris Thom Apparently, the studio spent $90 Million on production and $70 million on marketing; and I think the movie made $60 million at the box office. (According to the internet.)

Uncle Phoenix

@TheSingulatarian Actually I heard the opposite story. I heard that Michael Crichton began production, but the studio wasn’t happy so they hired John McTiernan to do reshoots, recut the movie, and bring it home. Wikipedia does have your version with the included quote from Michael Crichton saying that the finished movie was essentially the same as the movie that he directed. So, Maybe,...

Ryan Geiger

I hope the furious texting makes it to the Youtube edit, that was impresive.

Popcorn In Bed

hahaha “turn on subtitles, french and i think im supposed to know what they’re saying”

Old As Dirt Bert

A Jimmy Webb song, like "Up, Up and Away" and "MacArthur Park" and "Worst That Could Happen".

Clarence Newman

I think Cassie would enjoy Brosnan's Thomas Crown Affair, Phoenix. I'm not saying it's better than McQueen's original, but it's probably better for Cassie.

John Cranberry

You are 100% right. At the 10 min mark GH uses the N Word and they cut that whole interaction out which was about 17 seconds. Instead of removing it from my version, I split Cassie's reaction at the start of the deleted scene and after that scene is over, Cassie appears again and the rest of the movie was synced. Ridicoulous that they censor stuff like this in the USA.

John A

Did Cassie recognize his partner Roy Scheider from Jaws. Great movie, had not seen this in awhile. Gene Hackman is always great. not sure a time when I did not like his acting.

JPDotCom23

Poughkeepsie is a town in New York state.

JPDotCom23

It's interesting to note that director William Friedkin's next movie after this was 'The Exorcist'.

JPDotCom23

Ok, I'm sure someone's already mentioned it here but the real New York Police Detective 'Popeye' Doyle was inspired by is Eddie Egan, who appeared in this movie as Walt Simonson, Doyle's supervisor. If you are looking for a satisfying conclusion to this story, watch 'The French Connection II', it's not as good as this but it's an ending.