Perfect cast and a good story

People are voting emotionally.

good back-story, and good acting

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

THE CONNECTION is a gritty slice of French crime which, as the title would suggest, is based on much the same story as the famous FRENCH CONNECTION by William Friedkin. The story follows a dedicated judge who makes it his business to bring down a heroin kingpin, played by the excellent Giles Lellouche, an actor I better known playing the hero in the likes of POINT BLANK and MEA CULPA. This is a downbeat film full of sudden bursts of violence and a very fast pace so that you never get bored by the familiarity of the genre ingredients. It's also gritty and realistic, and has a good balance between character relationships, plot, and breakneck thrills. It might not be the most original film out there, but it's a film which achieves what it seeks to do, and it's a solid, engaging achievement.

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

"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!

In a way I was disappointed after seeing La French. The (real) story is gripping. I remember Marseille in the 70's was known as a dangerous place. You had to watch your steps. The French Connection was in the wrong way famous. And the murder on the judge was brutal. Only in the last 30 minutes La French will give you this feeling of drama. Before that the story is quite flat and cliché. It lacks the French grandeur and depth.Gilles Lellouche is a miscast as the main criminal. He is just too friendly in his looks and deeds (I agree with another reviewer). Jean Dujardin is good as always, but not brilliant. Celine Sallette is OK, but can do more. She has to play the terrible role of the wife, who leaves her husband because he is too busy with his work. But on the street after Jean Dujardin was shot, she is convincing. Also the atmosphere and the cinematography are very good. Real 70's. And the film is cut fast. So, there are a lot of good things, but they can't compensate the poor scenario and miscast of Gilles Lellouche. La French could and should have been better. I give it a 6/10, because of the importance of the real story behind it.