The French Connection

Name: The French Connection
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1971-10-09
Duration: 1 h 44 min
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi

1971·Movie·R·104 min·★ 7.5(2,139)

Action Crime Thriller More English titles

“Doyle is bad news—but a good cop.”

Tough narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle is in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a huge heroin-smuggling operation.

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Where to watch The French Connection in United States

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Click a service to open The French Connection there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is The French Connection streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
India	—	Google Play Movies, YouTube
United Kingdom	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video
Canada	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, CosmoGo, Amazon Video
Australia	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Germany	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Sky Store
France	Disney Plus, Sooner	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Orange VOD
Spain	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video
Brazil	Disney Plus	—
Japan	—	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies

About The French Connection

The French Connection is a 1971 English-language action, crime and thriller film directed by William Friedkin. The cast is led by Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey. It has a runtime of 1h 44m. Viewers rate it 7.5/10 across 2100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.

The French Connection was produced by D'Antoni Productions, Schine-Moore Productions, and 20th Century Fox and made in United States of America. It was released on October 9, 1971, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $2 million, it went on to gross $41 million worldwide.

Director: William Friedkin
Writers: Ernest Tidyman
Release date: October 9, 1971
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $2 million
Box office: $41 million
Production: D'Antoni Productions, Schine-Moore Productions, 20th Century Fox

#drug dealer#new york city#police brutality#drug smuggling#undercover agent#gangster#heroin#marseille, france#paranoia#night life#attempted murder#drug mule#train hijacking#police stakeout

The French Connection cast & crew

The French Connection was directed by William Friedkin and written by Ernest Tidyman.

The cast features Gene Hackman as Jimmy Doyle, Roy Scheider as Buddy Russo, Fernando Rey as Alain Charnier, Tony Lo Bianco as Sal Boca, Marcel Bozzuffi as Pierre Nicoli, and Frédéric de Pasquale as Devereaux.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Don Ellis, cinematography is by Owen Roizman, and it was produced by Philip D'Antoni and G. David Schine.

Is The French Connection worth watching?

The French Connection holds an audience score of 7.5/10 from 2,139 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed action films.

At 1h 44m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy action, crime, and thriller, The French Connection is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The French Connection

In United States, you can stream The French Connection on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, and Google Play Movies. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.