leethomas-11621
Great settings, acting, actors, soundtrack and camerawork. Complications of plot at times (who's who?) didn't hide inevitably of ending. Also unfamiliar with French justice and political systems. But well worth the watch - I couldn't leave it before the end - especially for the two lead actors. Best French movie to come along for a while. Also called The Connection. (viewed 8/16)
kosmasp
This really could have been made in the 70s. It does feel like it from beginning til the end. It's also the spiritual "brother" (or partner in crime if you forgive the pun) of the "French Connection". And while the first FC played in America and the second was based in France, this plays entirely in France and shows what the French were doing in the war against drugs.Jean Dujardin has proved, that he is more than just a comedic actor, he has the charisma to pull any role off, even this tough one. But he has some more than solid french talent to help him along the way. It's bleak, it's tension filled and it does not disappoint at all. Though I'm sure some will have issues with the ending, but you can't please everyone
Paul Allaer
"The Connection" (2014 release from France and Belgium; 135 min. original title "La French") is an action crime drama, "loosely based on real events" we are reminded at the beginning of the movie. Those real events are the role the southern French city of Marseille played in supplying (some might say: overwhelming) the US with hard drugs in the 1970s. As the movie opens, it says "Marseille, 1975", and as we follow a motor scooter, the biker all of the sudden stops, and shoots someone in cold blood in a nearby car. We then get to know Pierre Michel, a magistrate who is just being transferred from Juvenile to Organized Crime. Michel throws himself with gusto into the mob-fighting, and along the way bruises with his colleagues at work too. At this point we're about 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: first, when a movie puts up a disclaimer that says "loosely based" on real events, you can bet your last dollar that the movie departs significantly from what really happened. How is it that "The French Connection", surrounding similar facts from the US perspective, was made in 1971, yet this movie plays out from 1975 into the early 80s? If you set aside historical concerns, this movie does quite well, actually. The story is solid and takes its time to play out. No, there isn't a singular scene as memorable as the car/elevated train chase as in "The French Connection", but there is enough tension in "The Connection" that it kept me interested from start to finish. Second, a major plus is the historical accuracy in the decors and scenery. Right away from the opening scene on the motor scooter, I was marveling at all the 1970s French cars (Renault, Simca, Citroen, you name, they're all there, and plentiful), which I loved growing up in Belgium during that era. Likewise with attention to clothing and such. Third, the movie is technically a French-Belgian co-production, and the Belgian investors required some scenes shot in Belgium. The Krypton night club scenes were shot in Antwerp, Belgium (my original home town), and the prison scenes were shot in Charleroi, Belgium. Fourth, Jean Dujardin has a meaty character and role here, and he gives a fine performance as Magistrate Michel. Last but certainly not least, there is a very nice collection of songs in the movie from that era, both French (Serge Gainsbourg, Mike Brant, Sheila, etc.) and English (Blondie, Velvet Underground, Venus Ganga, Kim Wilde, etc.). It's available on Amazon France."The Connection" opened last weekend at my local art house theater here in Cincinnati, and I finally had a chance to see it. The early evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so, and that's a shame. I found "The Connection" always entertaining, never boring and at times outright riveting. If you are in the mood for a quality foreign movie, or perhaps just curious how "la French" (as the term 'French Connection' was referred to in France) is portrayed by this French interpretation of it, you cannot go wrong with this movie. "The Connection" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Sam Jack
I have to say that I was really looking forward to this one. The disappointment was big. It's weak and sloppy, trying real hard to be something it will never be.La French is a film that basically wants to be hardcore and truthful but fails miserably. The director is obviously more comfortable with clichés than with the real deal. Each scene is a rip- off from other scenes taken from previous crime classics. But poorly done. The film has quite a budget, but it doesn't have any soul at all. Its makers obviously confuse money with quality. If you are a fan of Jean Dujardin, you will be very much disappointed. He deserved a better role. All dressed up but nowhere to go, La French is far from being the crime classic it tries to be. This is not the French Connection or The Godfather. Just a generic product disguised as a quality film.
