'French Connection' Chase Still Thrills

Reader Greg Tutunjian made the following comment in response to a New York Times item about how fight scenes in movies have become increasingly incoherent:

We go to the movies to be entertained, not to observe proper fighting technique. I think the chase (car versus train) in The French Connection would elicit yawns (and a lot of concurrent texting) from today's target audience in a movie theatre.

I recently saw that 1971 film for the first time, wanting to see how Gene Hackman earned his best actor Oscar. Tutunjian's wrong about the car-train chase, which is still an incredible piece of filmmaking that's all the more exciting because of the lack of special effects. The trivia on IMDB contains a lot of great details on the sequence, which included a real car crash. "The man whose car was hit had just left his house a few blocks from the intersection to go to work and was unaware that a car chase was being filmed," according to IMDB. "The producers later paid the bill for the repairs to his car."

Movies · 2008/07/30 · 13 COMMENTS · Link

Comments

"I recently saw that 1971 film for the first time, wanting to see how Gene Hackman earned his best actor Oscar."

If Hollywood were in any way an honest industry, Hackman would have earned an academy award for every role he has played in films. He is by far the most ... alpha ... actor since Barrymore, and even more so.

Not only that, but his fiction is excellent, in my opinion, too. Painting is painting and yoked to subjectiveness but with all of it a perfection in expression to someone, if just the Artist.

But, really, did you think his performance was worthy of the Academy's super-delegate votes, or was the putsch on to promote the chase movie schtick???

Or ... is that what you are alluding to?

#1 · tadowe · 2008/07/30

Rogers, my computer was attacked and killed by a virus software calling itself 'Anti Virus 2008'. Have you heard anything about it's origins or makers? (no implication of you being involved, just aksing because you are the only computer guy 'I know')

They should give the freaking death penalty to these hacker creeps....

#2 · Rex · 2008/07/30

I don't think that was an Oscar-caliber performance by Hackman, actually. The movie's all cat-and-mouse, and it reveals very little about the cops played by Hackman and Roy Scheider. I don't think the script gave Hackman enough to play.

As for your virus woes, Rex, I've never heard of that malware. I use Norton 360 for anti-virus protection and make sure it's kept up to date.

#3 · Rogers Cadenhead · 2008/07/31

The French Connection is an all time great. Hackman WAS the role. French Connection 2 is ok, but a big let down from the first one.

If you want to see another great early Hackman role watch 'The Scarecrow' co-starring Pacino....Great movie.

#4 · Rex · 2008/07/31

watch full Movies - Mamma Mia in www.tvokay.com so cool!

#5 · debbycruz12 · 2008/07/31

watch full Movies - The Incredible Hulk in tvokay.com

Synopsis: Depicting the events after the Gamma Bomb. 'The Incredible Hulk' tells the story of Dr Bruce Banner, who seeks a cure to his unique condition, which causes him to turn into a giant green monster under emotional stress. Whilst on the run from military which seeks his capture, Banner comes close to a cure. But all is lost when a new creature emerges; The Abomination.
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Christina Cabot, Peter Mensah
Running Time: 114 minutes
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: Louis Leterrier
check it out, enjoy it your self!

#6 · debbycruz12 · 2008/07/31

Rex - had the same experience recently with anti virus 2008, my wife somehow got it on her computer. Very nasty - insstalls new wallpaper, pretends to uninstall but instead mutates. Took me hours to clean up and in the end I think I'll need to reinstall windows to completely clean up. This is what worked for me as the interim fix:

www.windowsvistaplace.com

#7 · bla · 2008/08/01

Bla, thanks, I had to wipe my whole computer clean and start over. But I got Kaspernsky anti virus soft ware now and that is supposed to be the best.

I got the virus in an email from a buddy, his computer was hijacked by Anti Virus 2008 and sent out emails from his address book.

Be careful what you open, Best Buy told me they are seeing this more and more everyday, and that just this week a new strain of it was out, Anti Virus 2009.

#8 · Rex · 2008/08/01

just a note to rogers - yesterday the sitemeter caused all sorts of problems with internet explorer - people using both could not access their blogs or those blogs using sitemeter. to remedy the problem - remove sitemeter temporarily until i.e. or sitemeter comes up with a solution or get a new sitemeter system. all blogs could be seen and/or used in mozilla or other browsers.

rex - we've had great luck with p.c. doctor - nothing gets by it. trust me, people have tried...

p.s. - hate to date myself, but saw this movie at the theater in its opening days - excellent.

#9 · nanc · 2008/08/02

Wish I had read your comment before I investigated that problem. You're right -- it was SiteMeter. Thanks.

#10 · Rogers Cadenhead · 2008/08/02

Ed Norton is another great character actor. I've never seen him perform in any role in which he wasn't perfect. I haven't seen The Hulk, but I'll bet he carries that impossible role off with excellence, as well ...

#11 · visitor · 2008/08/02

Have you seen the chase in Ronin? Also amazing.

Great porkpie hat on Hackman.

#12 · Mark · 2008/08/03

Hackman was exactly what he needed to be in that movie, pure and simple: BALLS. Chase scene under the trestle was amazing, particularly considering the level of technology then versus now. These days, the whole damn scene would be CGIed to hell and back, and Popeye Doyle would be played by Seth Rogen.

#13 · Squatter of Papal Interests · 2008/08/04