The Connection (2014)

A French police magistrate spends years trying to take down one of the country's most powerful drug rings.

Director:

Cédric Jimenez

Writers:

Audrey Diwan (screenplay), Cédric Jimenez (screenplay)

Stars:

Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Céline Sallette

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Dujardin	...	Pierre Michel
Gilles Lellouche	...	Gaëtan 'Tany' Zampa
Céline Sallette	...	Jacqueline Michel
Mélanie Doutey	...	Christiane Zampa
Benoît Magimel	...	Le Fou
Guillaume Gouix	...	José Alvarez
Bruno Todeschini	...	Le Banquier
Féodor Atkine	...	Gaston Deferre
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

Storyline

A French police magistrate spends years trying to take down one of the country's most powerful drug rings.

---

Plot Keywords:

magistrate | french connection | police | drugs | pistol | 

---

Taglines:

New York's drug war comes home.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, drug content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Gaumont animated opening logo is the 70's one.

---

Goofs

In a scene set in 1981, there are two Citroen CX cars, each from 1985 or later.

---

Connections

Referenced in Cowboy (2017)

---

Soundtracks

Love to Fly
Written by Jean-Pierre Massiera (uncredited) and Patrick Barbero (uncredited)
Performed by Venus Gang

User Reviews

A stylish thriller revisiting classic territory

In the late 1960s and early 1970s drugs were flowing from Marseille to New York in a sophisticated and sustained operation. The Americans made two movies about the racket: "The French Connection" (1971) set in New York and "The French Connection II" (1975) located in Marseiiles, in both cases with Gene Hackman famously playing the police crime-buster. French cinema too has had two cracks at telling the story: first with "The Judge" (1984) and then with "The Connection" ("La French" in French) in 2014.

In the French films, the hero is not a policeman but a magistrate, in "The Connection" played by played by Jean Dujardin, best known outside France for his performance in the silent film "The Artist". The role of the chief criminal is taken by Gilles Lelouche. There is a short scene where the two meet alone which is reminiscent of the cafe scene between Al Pacino and Robert de Niro in "Heat". "The Connection" is not one of the the classics like "The French Connection" and "Heat" but it is a stylish, if clichéd, thriller with hand-held camera-work and atmospheric soundtrack adding to the impact.

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont [France]

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French Italian English

Release Date:

15 May 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Connection

Filming Locations:

Corniche Président John Kennedy, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,335, 17 May 2015

Gross USA:

$190,980

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,062,441

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont, Légende Films, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1