A '70s Movie With The Best Car Chase Scene Ever Is A Must-Watch For Crime Thriller Fans

Not only did it top our list of the best Gene Hackman movies, but neo-noir thriller "The French Connection" also found its way onto our rankings of the best detective movies and best suspense movies. While it deserves all of those plaudits and more, there is one very specific thing that "The French Connection" nails that puts it in the best of its class — the movie's legendary and climactic car chase scene. 

Even during a decade when it seemed like there was an iconic car chase in every other movie, "The French Connection" stood out among its peers then and still does upon modern reappraisal of that era of cinema on four wheels. The movie's chase scene begins when NYPD officer Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is pursuing hitman Pierre "Frog Two" Nicoli (Marcel Bozzuffi), who has boarded an elevated train. 

Popeye commandeers a random citizen's 1971 Pontiac LeMans and takes off, attempting to keep up with the train as he weaves in and out of the pillars that hold up the tracks, as well as the many other cars on the crowded streets of Brooklyn.  

People complain about how excessive special effects have taken over making action set pieces in movies, and we mourn the days when it all had to be done with practical effects and professional stuntpeople. While the results speak for themselves in "The French Connection," which used real cars, drivers, and streets without a single stitch of digital trickery, one must remember how dangerous stunt work used to be. 

While he is just as well known for directing the pioneering horror film "The Exorcist," it's tough to argue against "The French Connection" being William Friedkin's best work. The Academy agrees, as "The French Connection" brought Friedkin his sole best director Oscar win, not to mention being his only movie to take home best picture. Given the accolades both he and the movie received, Friedkin probably felt justified in the reckless rule-breaking that was done in order to film that final chase scene. Of course, it helps that nobody died in the process — though by his own admission, that was a clear possibility.

In a 2021 interview with The New York Post reflecting on "The French Connection" and the filming of the car chase in particular, Friedkin admitted, "It was only by the grace of God that nobody was hurt or injured in any way — or died because of that." Unable to secure official permissions and clearances from city officials, Friedkin instead enlisted NYPD detective Randy Jurgensen — a longtime consultant for depictions of law enforcement in movies — to help the production cut legal corners, get off-duty police officers to help block traffic, and to be ready to flash his badge if anyone made a stink. "I would not do anything like that today," Friedkin admitted.