Roy Scheider's passing last week prompted me to watch this last night.
It's a cops and robbers thriller that has been much copied but rarely matched, featuring one of the greatest car chases ever filmed. And Gene Hackman ain't bad either.
Filmed two years prior to his redefining of the horror genre with THE EXORCIST, William Friedkin set the standard for the police thriller with this classic that won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hackman's Popeye Doyle.
Doyle is one of two cops (the other played by Scheider) who are trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming into New York from France, courtesy of the suave drug kingpin Charnier.
It's packed with memorable set pieces, tense action and a great script. It also boasts one of Hackman's best performances. And that's saying something.
Worth seeing again.
And again.
"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
