White Wall Cinema: THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for the late great Gene Hackman (Unforgiven, Mississippi Burning, The Conversation, The Royal Tenenbaums) we pay tribute to this titan of the acting world at the peak of his powers. Extraordinarily directed by the also recently departed William Friedkin, the no-nonsense genius who also gave us classics like The Exorcist, The Boys In The Band, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A. and Sorcerer, The French Connection is a landmark film featuring a towering performance from Hackman and the best car chase sequence ever committed to celluloid.

When rough and tumble cop Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle (Hackman) and his partner Buddy ‘Cloudy’ Russo (Roy Scheider – Jaws) stumble upon a narcotics ring in early 70s New York the obsessive Doyle sets about busting it up and taking down the smugglers bringing in heroine from Marseille. Realistic, fast-paced and uncommonly smart it ushered in a new gritty era of cinema that would lead to the greatest ever era of American films.

Repeatedly listed in the American film institutes top 100 movies of all time, this neo-noir masterpiece has influenced everyone from Akira Kurosawa to Steven Spielberg to David Fincher. Garnering more than 20+ major film awards (including the aforementioned 5 Oscars) The French Connection is a keystone of American cinematic culture and a big screen must for movie fans of all stripes, as well as being a fitting tribute to one of America’s greatest all-time screen actors, Gene Hackman.

• DOORS: 7.30pm
• START TIME: 8.10pm
• RUN TIME: 104 mins
• CERT: 18