Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Connection

Original title: La French
  • 20142014
  • RR
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
11K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
15,432
929
The Connection (2014)
A French police magistrate spends years trying to take down one of the country's most powerful drug rings.
Play trailer2:33
2 Videos
12 Photos
ActionCrimeThriller
A French police magistrate spends years trying to take down one of the country's most powerful drug rings.A French police magistrate spends years trying to take down one of the country's most powerful drug rings.A French police magistrate spends years trying to take down one of the country's most powerful drug rings.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
11K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
15,432
929
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Cédric Jimenez
    • Writers
      • Audrey Diwan(screenplay)
      • Cédric Jimenez(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Jean Dujardin
      • Gilles Lellouche
      • Céline Sallette
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Cédric Jimenez
    • Writers
      • Audrey Diwan(screenplay)
      • Cédric Jimenez(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Jean Dujardin
      • Gilles Lellouche
      • Céline Sallette
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 32User reviews
    • 118Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:33
    Official Trailer
    The Connection - Trailer
    Trailer 2:33
    The Connection - Trailer

    Photos12

    Jean Dujardin in The Connection (2014)
    The Connection (2014)
    The Connection (2014)
    The Connection (2014)
    The Connection (2014)
    The Connection (2014)
    The Connection (2014)
    Olivier Sa in The Connection (2014)
    On the set of LA FRENCH
    La French
    On the set of 'La French'

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean Dujardin
    Jean Dujardin
    • Pierre Michel
    Gilles Lellouche
    Gilles Lellouche
    • Gaëtan 'Tany' Zampa
    Céline Sallette
    Céline Sallette
    • Jacqueline Michel
    Mélanie Doutey
    Mélanie Doutey
    • Christiane Zampa
    Benoît Magimel
    Benoît Magimel
    • Le Fou
    Guillaume Gouix
    Guillaume Gouix
    • José Alvarez
    Bruno Todeschini
    Bruno Todeschini
    • Le Banquier
    Féodor Atkine
    Féodor Atkine
    • Gaston Deferre
    Moussa Maaskri
    Moussa Maaskri
    • Franky Manzoni
    Pierre Lopez
    • Jean Paci
    Eric Collado
    • Robert
    Cyril Lecomte
    • Marco Da Costa
    Jean-Pierre Sanchez
    • Fabrizio Mandonato
    Georges Neri
    • Charles Peretti
    Martial Bezot
    • Le Gitan
    Bernard Blancan
    Bernard Blancan
    • Lucien Aymé-Blanc
    Gérard Meylan
    Gérard Meylan
    • Ange Mariette
    Eric Fraticelli
    • Bianchi
    • Director
      • Cédric Jimenez
    • Writers
      • Audrey Diwan(screenplay) (adaptation) (dialogue)
      • Cédric Jimenez(screenplay) (adaptation) (dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Les Lyonnais
    6.9
    Les Lyonnais
    The Stronghold
    6.9
    The Stronghold
    36th Precinct
    7.1
    36th Precinct
    Counter Investigation
    6.7
    Counter Investigation
    Paris Under Watch
    6.0
    Paris Under Watch
    Mesrine: Killer Instinct
    7.5
    Mesrine: Killer Instinct
    OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
    7.0
    OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
    Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1
    7.4
    Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1
    The Last Deadly Mission
    6.6
    The Last Deadly Mission
    OSS 117: Lost in Rio
    6.8
    OSS 117: Lost in Rio
    Carbon
    6.5
    Carbon
    Gibraltar
    6.3
    Gibraltar

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Gaumont animated opening logo is the 70's one.
    • Goofs
      An early title card indicates the film taking place beginning in 1975. A shot of a truck being unloaded on a New York dock shows the World Trade Center Twin Towers under construction. The Twin Towers were opened in 1973, with construction completed prior to that.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Cowboy (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Bang Bang
      Written by Sonny Bono (uncredited)

      Performed by Sheila

    User reviews32

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    La French
    The must use adjectives are thrilling and mind blowing. Seriously, the motion picture directed and written by Cédric Jimenez was emotionally heavy. The movie was inspired by true events set in the 1970s. It was about a Neapolitan Mafia Boss Tanny Zampa who ran a French extortion gang in Marseille, France. The Kingpin and his mob later exploded into 'The Connection'. It meant heroin purchased from Turkey being flood into New York by the French Mafia. What stood in their way was dedicated detective Pierre Michel who raged bloody war against their money laundering Empire.

    In addition, this action packed Noir was set in Marseille, France. I loved how the opening scene exposed a landscape filled with historical buildings, palm trees, straight roads and the sea that reflected blue from the sky. The vibrating and aggressive sound from the motorbike gave the picture a dramatic sound. Expressive music which featured a woman singing her heart out gave a lovely mood. The song was Jerome sang by Lykke Li. Bang! Bang! Bullets flashed at a car driver on the streets. Hit men on motorbike were like characters from a western movie shooting down their victim. The act created a contrast from beautiful to horrendous.

    What is more, the tense violence gave the film justice. It empathised the horrors of the French Mafia who imported tons of heroin from Turkey to France and New York City. The pace was very fast. It demonstrated how society was corrupt by dangerous mobsters who rhymed with monsters. The viciousness contained scenes of Zampa and his henchmen killing those who did not pay up protection rackets. The shootings would be extremely loud and bloody. Graphic tortures was like a rakish rhythm in the content. It showed how evil bloodbaths were. There are media reports of President Nixon declaring war against drugs. This showed what impact on drug affairs did on lives.

    Moreover, Tanny Zampa was like a black and white painting. He loved his family and destroyed his enemies. He owned a fabulous club in Marseille. The dedicated detective Pierre Michel was hungry to bring an end to 'The Connection'. Pierre went to the extent in taking the law into his own hands to expose his patriotic nature. The two main contrasting characters had their glorious rise and tragic downfalls.

    To add, a scene which I also liked the most was when Tanny and his thugs interrogated their extortion victim. The sufferer was strapped to a chair. He wore his fabulous tuxedo. The room had silver walls. The scene played classic disco music which empathised disturbing psychology on mobsters killing legit people who did not pay up protection rackets. A gunned down casino owner. Left to bleed in a car park in broad day light. Tanny and his boys walked off like it just was business nothing personal.

    To carry on, the visualisation had some glimpse shots, fast forwarding and an expression in chiaroscuro. The film looked like a production from the 1970s. This helped empathise the time period. Laurent Tangy as the cinematographer expressed the contrast between light and shade. It resulted to the picture having a dark and light atmosphere. From urban to a reveal location, the lighting exposed the two different worlds. In Tanny's nightclub the cinematographer strengthen the shade and exaggerated the lighting. The high saturation was the icing on the cake. The camera shots in the French picture had long distance shots, up right footages and birds eye view. This implied the importance of society.

    As a continuation, soundtrack included an orchestra, disco music and electronic. The sound effects in the film created a tense tone. It backed up how 'The Connection' had a negative effect on Marseille and New York. The emotionally heavy orchestra which was played in the end implied the tragic downfalls of the two opposing characters. Detective Pierre was shot and left to death in his neighbourhood. Crime Boss Tanny was finally arrested as his Empire crumbled.

    For the story itself, all I can say is that it was about time to have a cinematic film about the rise and the downfall of the French heroin connection based in the 1970s. Watching the same old Sopranos could not compete with this breed of Gangsterism due to the fact that 'The Connection' focused on the sociological theme. The content was unique, because I was getting bored watching the same old Italian wise guys like 'Goodfellas', 'Mean Streets' and 'The Sopranos.' Those three titles do not go into political depth. Cinema needs more genres which are so different.

    All in all, I give this film a solid……………….. 8/10.
    helpful•24
    4
    • akupm
    • Jun 9, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 15, 2015 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Belgium
    • Official site
      • Gaumont (France)
    • Languages
      • French
      • Italian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Conexión Marsella
    • Filming locations
      • La Ciotat, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
    • Production companies
      • Gaumont
      • Légende Films
      • France 2 Cinéma
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $26,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $190,980
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,335
      • May 17, 2015
    • Gross worldwide
      • $12,062,441
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Connection (2014)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Connection (2014) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Superhero Movies and Series
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    These Stars Are on the Rise
    See the gallery
    Back to top

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.