The Connection
Seen it?2014 | 135 min | Thriller, Crime, Action
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (77% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and a box office loss. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime fans, anyone who likes to be kept guessing and action fans. If you loved The French Connection or Layer Cake, start here.
- The mood
- Tense, gritty.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 2 hr 15 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: expect drug use.
- It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Newly transferred to the bustling port city of Marseille to assist with a crackdown on organized crime, energetic young magistrate Pierre Michel is given a rapid-fire tutorial on the ins and outs of an out-of-control drug trade. Pierre's wildly ambitious mission is to take on the French Connection, a highly organized operation that controls the city's underground heroin economy and is overseen by the notorious —and reputedly untouchable— Gaetan Zampa. Fearless, determined and willing to go the distance, Pierre plunges into an underworld world of insane danger and ruthless criminals.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
77% on Rotten Tomatoes, 67 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.1 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
1 win and 3 nominations from smaller awards and festivals
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$12 million worldwide on a $26 million budget
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 10K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Cédric Jimenez
- Jean DujardinJudge Pierre Michel
- Gilles LelloucheGaëtan 'Tany' Zampa
- Céline SalletteJacqueline Michel
- Mélanie DouteyChristiane Zampa
- Benoît Magimel'Le Fou'
- Guillaume GouixInspector José Alvarez
- Bruno Todeschini'Le Banquier'
- Féodor AtkineGaston Deferre
- Moussa MaaskriFranky Manzoni
- Pierre LopezJean Paci