The French Connection

The French Connection (1971) is William Friedkin's crime thriller you can watch online on iFILM. Two New York cops stumble onto a heroin pipeline that runs from Marseille straight into their own streets.

Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is crude, stubborn and willing to bend the rules, but his instinct never misses. With partner Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), he tails the elegant Frenchman Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), who is about to push through the biggest narcotics shipment the city has seen. The case grinds through wiretaps, freezing stakeouts and long hours watching doorways in Brooklyn, until it reaches a point where waiting is no longer an option.

The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Hackman, and its chase beneath the elevated train is still dissected in film schools. Friedkin shot it like a documentary — handheld camera, real New York locations, no polish. Stream The French Connection (1971) online on iFILM.