1970s, Marseille, Paris, a cop, Pierre Michel, has devoted himself into stopping The French Connection.
Blaine: One of the things Marseille, France is best known for is The French Connection because Marseille was the world’s heroin capital in the Sixties. The Godfather of Marseille was Tany Zampa and Judge Pierre Michel was doing everything to put a end to The French Connection. Everyone in Marseille knows who Pierre Michel is and what he did for the place. Growing up in Marseille, Cedric Jimenez would hear about Pierre Michel and The French Connection a lot. Pierre Michel is a legend in Marseille and everyone in that area talks about him, but his story has never been made into a film. Cedric thought it would be a good idea to make a film to honor Pierre Michel and spread the word outside of Marseille of who he was.
Cedric Jimenez knows a lot about Pierre Michel, but there was more to him that Cedric had to learn about. One the things Cedric did to get more info on Pierre Michel was interview the people who worked with him. Cedric would also interview former gangsters who were involved with The French Connection.
Cedric couldn’t call this film “The French Connection” because that title has already been taken by the Academy Award winning film from 1971. Of course there are films out there that have similar titles like “Les Miserables” and “Inglorious Bastards”. Critics thought of “The Connection” as a different version of “The French Connection” film starring Gene Hackman. Both “The Connection” and “The French Connection” are based on real people and real incidents that happened during the time Marseille was a drug-trafficking capital and center of the main global heroin network.
There are two sides to this story, the side of justice and the side a crime. And the leads of those sides are Judge Pierre Michel and Tany Zampa.
It was interesting for Jean Dujardin to get offered to play Marseille’s most beloved man, Pierre Michel, because he’s never played a real life person before. Jean is usually best known for his comedic roles, but he’s good at playing serious roles too. Jean Dujardin saw different sides to Pierre Michel as he read through the script. Through his performance, Jean shows how carrying of a man Pierre Michel is. There was only one thing Pierre Michel wanted for Marseille and that was peace. Pierre Michel cares for it’s people and doesn’t want it to be run by gangsters. His goal in life was to put an end to The French Connection. There was no one who wanted to stop The French Connection more than Pierre Michel. Pierre Michel started off as Juvenile Court judge, then was assigned to help an organized crime unit, and they too wanted to stop The French Connection. Pierre Michel is also easy to like because he’s a people person I would say. He also has a lot of good things in life. He’s passionate about the law and he has a loving family. Pierre Michel also has a talent for getting what he wants when it comes to doing his job.
Tany Zampa’s backstory is he started off as a mid-level mob enforcer around the time The French Connection had begun. He did some time in the early 60s. After he was released, Tany was rising to the top. He started it off by investing in heroin, while, at the same time, taking control of clubs and bars in Marseille. Then Tany Zampa became The Godfather of Marseille after the death of a head mob boss, Antoine Guerini, in 1967 and became the key figure to The French Connection.
Cedric Jimenez grew up watching Martin Scorsese films and Marty is one of his role models, but Cedric didn’t want his way of directing “The Connection" to live up to anyone else. He wanted it to be his own. But to me it does feel like Cedric did give “The Connection” a style that would live up to Martin Scorsese on a 36% level.
Martin Scorsese has good taste in music and one of his talents is knowing which song should go with a scene in his movie. Music is one of the important elements to a Martin Scorsese film. Cedric Jimenez loves music too and for “The Connection” he chose the type of music he loved listening to growing up. His father owned a night club and they would play music all the time there. Cedric even asked his composer, Guillaume Russel, to give the music score a 70s sound to it.
As dangerous as things were during The French Connection they weren’t that violent. I mean sure the gangsters had to rough up people and they shot people to death, but they weren’t as violent as the gangsters you’ve seen in movies like “Goodfellas” or “The Departed". You could say this is in lighter terms of that. Cedric found that out through the people he interviewed. Cedric didn’t plan to make “The Connection” violent. He felt the film didn’t need violence in order to make it more interesting. The whole point of “The Connection” was to honor a legend who fought for Marseille. And Cedric felt it was important that “The Connection” stay as true to the events that actually happened as it could be. When Tany Zampa took control and became The Godfather of Marseille, his first task was to have his enemies gunned down. They really use up a lot of bullets on whoever.
Pierre Michel is interviewing a heroin addict the police brought in, named Lily, who has been hanging around the gang and could have some useful information. Of course Lily isn’t that well with the drugs in her system.
Lily goes back to Pierre Michel so she can give him some leads. Lily wants to help Pierre Michel because she likes him. He has a trust worthy face. Pierre Michel wants the best for Lily and wants her to get healthy again. And Lily wants to straighten out her life, but it’s hard. Pierre Michel believes in her and she’s off to a good start. Lily has a bruise on her left eye. She is being threatened if giving Pierre Michel answers. But Lily talks to Pierre Michel anyway, believing he’ll take care of it.
The police have lost one of their leads after finding his dead body. Pierre Michel goes to Lily to see if she can give him anything else, but she’s gone too. Lily died of a drug overdoes. The mother is heart broken that her only child is dead and Pierre Michel really feels for her because he liked Lily. Lily did want to get better and she had taken Pierre Michel’s advice. Lily’s mother can’t explain how it happened, but Pierre Michel knows the gangsters are responsible. They killed Lily. Lily was a sweet girl. Sure she made a wrong decision by doing drugs, but she also was a kind soul. Lily wanted a chance at peace, but the gang wouldn’t allow it. Pierre Michel’s goal is to bring peace to Marseilles, but he has failed one life. Pierre Michel feels he should have been more protective of Lily. But he’s going to make it up by getting these guys. Pierre Michel doesn’t like that gangsters would kill a fifteen year old girl. He’s going to find a way to have them locked up.
Pierre Michel has nothing that can get to Tany Zampa, but he does figure out a way to get his men. You start off with something small and it’ll help you get the big prize. Pierre Michel is very clever. He knows how to put the criminals away. There’s this one scene I find clever. Pierre Michel has a criminal in his office and is asking about the criminals’s weapon. Guy says it’s not his, but Pierre Michel knows he’s lying. Instead of asking the guy questions about the gun, Pierre Michel throws the guy the gun and now his fingerprints are on it. Pierre Michel knows how to get evidence. Pierre’s Michel’s secretary is very impressed with him. That’s my favorite scene in the movie.
Everyone on the force is pleased with Pierre Michel. They get the work done because of him. Pierre Michel does homework very well too. Tany Zampa keeps getting the news that his men are being arrested and it upsets him. But it’s bringing joy to Pierre Michel and everyone else.
Pierre Michel’s wife, Jacqueline, is proud of what he has done, but it also concerns her that those dangerous men might come after them. Jacqueline is right. Pierre Michel is making himself a public figure to a lot of people, including the people he is making enemies with. They could go after his family and use them as his weakness. If this were a comic book movie he would hide his identity so that way his loved ones would remain safe. But this isn’t a comic book movie at all. Pierre Michel is not scared of the gangsters. How many more lives must die because of these men. Pierre Michel won’t stop until there is peace.
Tany Zampa tries to bribe Pierre Michel, but you can’t bribe a good cop like him. However, he does take the money, but he doesn’t keep it for himself. Pierre Michel knows that if the bad guys are going to give away money then it deserves to go to the right people and that’s the people trying to get healthy again at a rehab clinic. A lot of lives are lost because of the drugs and their blood is on that money. The criminals don’t give a damn about those people, but Pierre Michel does. He wished he could have saved Lily, but he can still honor her death by showing junkies in rehab that they can make it just like she wanted to.
A lot of people in Marseille want Tany locked up because he’s a dangerous criminal who has done dark deeds. But this guy also has heart. When it comes to close friends and family, Tany has a carrying side. There’s nothing in the world that Tany loves more than his wife, Christiane. From the looks of it they are happy with their marriage and will love each other until death dues them part. Christiane knows Tany is a criminal, but that doesn’t matter to her because he’s also a loving husband and father.
There is more than one war going on in Marseilles besides the drug war. There is a gang leader named Le Four who is after Tany Zampa’s place being the head of The French Connection. So Tany has Le Fou gunned down. Tany wanted Le Fou dead, but this guy managed to survive more than one bullet to the chest and this actually happened. Seven bullets were removed from Le Fou’s body. His right arm became paralyzed, but they don’t show that in this film. Tany and his men should have shot Le Fou in the head if they didn’t want him to live. Le Fou hunts down Tany’s men. Tany is hurt to hear his good friends, Franky and Bimbo, were one of the targets. Next, Le Fou goes after Tany himself, but the police arrest Le Fou before he has a chance.
People were also gunned down in a restaurant. Pierre Michel goes in to take a look at what has happened and there are dead bodies everywhere. It’s a real blood bath in there. This is too much for Pierre Michel to bear. Pierre Michel’s reaction to it is like he is a soldier who has seen too much in battle. It really messes with his head. Pierre Michel despises violence and it needs to stop. Other than that, Tany Zampa is grinding Pierre Michel's gears. Pierre Michel really wants all of this to end. He’s getting so lost in his work that his family hardly gets to see him. Pierre Michel is over worked. He’s having trouble letting out his emotions after what he has seen. War veterans go through this type of thing too. They’ve seen a lot of action and they pretend like it’s nothing when they’re at home.
Jacqueline leaves Pierre Michel after they have an argument and stays with her sister. Pierre Michel doesn’t make that big of a deal about it at first, but then he is reminded by his boss that everyone has to have a life. Even the criminals have one. They swim in their pools, they spend time with the ones they love, they party at clubs.
Originally Pierre Michel was going to go to a beach and get drunk, but Jean Dujardin was against that and felt it needed to be changed. Jean didn’t want to see Pierre Michel become an alcoholic. Jean thought the best way Pierre Michel would deal with his situation would be to call his wife and talk to her. And I may point out that Pierre Michel is wanting to help addicts to be free of their addiction to drugs, and Pierre Michel shouldn’t have an addiction to alcohol. He was addicted to gambling once, but he overcame it.
Without his family, Pierre Michel realizes he is lonely and he doesn’t want to be alone. Pierre Michel is nothing without Jacqueline and their daughters and he needs them to feel at peace again. They are his whole world. Pierre's emotions just burst through the telephone call and Jacqueline can tell how serious it is. Pierre goes to Jacqueline and she knows how she feels. Taking some time away from Pierre isn’t what Jacqueline really wants. He is everything to her and she will love him always. Jacqueline fears she might lose Pierre because he’s getting involved in a dangerous situation. Both Pierre and Jacqueline hold each other like they never want to let go. They settle things together. Pierre Michel should take a vacation and he does take time off to be with his family.
Tany Zampa is going through a rough time too, after Franky and Bimbo were killed. His closest friends are gone, but he still has his wife, Christiane. She is always there for him whenever he is having any kind of problem. She'll be there to hug him and kiss him and show him that he is not alone in this world.
Pierre Michel and Tany Zimpa aren’t so different from each other. They have a few similarities. They are both strong men and they care for their families.
Pierre Michel has been putting his mind on his family because they come first. He’s been taking a break from work for a while, but eventually he will have to get back to putting an end to The French Connection. Pierre Michel gets a call from New York saying they caught a French drug mule, which could be connected to his case. Jacqueline is okay with it as long as both her and the daughters get to see Pierre more. Pierre has also calmed down and changed a few of his ways. Pierre Michel is the leader everyone needs right now, but he also has to be a family man too.
The drug lab has always been the main target to putting an end to The French Connection because it’s where the drugs are made. It’s a hidden place, so it’s not easy to find unless you’re involved in the business.
There is one gang member, Marco Da Costa, who isn't treated fairly from time to time. I mean the first time we see Marco, Tany is treating him like a lab rat by continuously having him snort cocaine. It’s almost like he’s a nobody. But other times Marco is treated like he belongs with the gang. Marco seems like the type who takes things lightly compared to the others and it’s because of him that Pierre Michel and the police manage to find the drug lab they have been searching for. Marco also looks like he doesn’t use his brain all the time. If this were something like “Goodfellas” you could kiss your life goodbye after making one mistake or just not doing your job good enough.
One of the best ways to make a gangster and an action film look good is the editing work. There are two scenes that cut to another shot using flash. Like the flash of a gun shot and then flashes from cameras. Another example would be the scene where Lucien Aime-Blanc is explaining to Pierre Michel what he knows about the gangsters’ illegal activities on how they make money and as he is explaining, it is showing all the visuals of each step. Composer Guillaume Roussel gave that scene a good beat in the background.
And then there’s the various guns firing at different times, different places, different angles, but they are cut into the same scene and cuts to each shot in just two seconds. There’s a scene where Pierre Michel is following Tany Zampa. The camera is focussing on Pierre Michel from the left, while Tany Zampa and his driver are being focussed on from the right and it’s showing the same scene constantly from two different sides. You ask yourself what is Pierre Michel up to? And it brings up tension because you don’t know what is going to happen.
Lastly there is the gun fight scene that happens in the drug lab. When the drug lab has finally been found, a few detectives go in while Pierre Michel keeps a watchful eye from the outside. A small shoot out goes on in the building. It cuts from one guy shooting to another.
I’ve seen enough movies to know that a gang member would go to prison for his boss. They’ll also say they’ll die before talking. It shows how loyal they are to their boss or bosses. That and also if you squeal, a hit is out on you. But when someone you really care for is involved that’s different. Marco holds the key to ending The French Connection with useful information. Pierre Michel knows how to make him talk. Marco hid a useful notebook in his girlfriend, Dora, apartment. And because it was in her apartment that means she is involved, which means she could go to prison. Marco is in a real difficult situation here. If he talks he is dead, if he doesn’t Dora goes to prison. There’s no way out of this. He doesn’t have to play stupid, like pretend he doesn’t know anything when he does. As dedicated as Marco wants to be to his boss, still he loves Dora and really cares about her. But Marco is afraid that Tany Zampa will find him and end his life. Pierre Michel promises nothing will happen to both him and Dora. I think Pierre Michel learned to be more protective after what happened to Lily. Pierre Michel is doing a good job at keeping his promise. No one will get to Marco because Pierre Michel is his human shield. But that’s also a problem.
Close to the end you get the feeling something bad is going to happen. Big spoilers!! Pierre Michel is ridding home on his motorcycle and two men shoot him dead. They couldn’t get to Marco, so they got rid of his shield. Jacqueline is preparing lunch and as soon as Pierre Michel gets shot, a painful feeling hits her in the chest. She knows something is wrong. Love can be a powerful bond. That and also the shooting wasn’t that far from home, so maybe she heard the gun shot. But to me it’s the power of love. Jacqueline runs all the way to the crime seen and it makes her go crazy seeing her beloved husband dead. She doesn’t want him gone because he is everything to her.
Pierre Michel’s death was a shocker for everyone in Marseille because he was the second French judge to be murdered. The first one was killed during the German Occupation in the Second World War. An investigation went on to find the two guys who assassinated Pierre Michel. The police found two guys but there was no proof that they did it. The real killers were found a few years later thanks to the help of a French trafficker, Francois Scapula. Francois was being arrested and he revealed to the police that he knew the guys who killed Pierre Michel. Their names were Francois Checchi and Charles Altieri, and after they were caught they were sentenced to imprisonment.
Tany Zampa has to go into hiding because the death of Pierre Michel is connected to him. He has to leave his family, which is the hardest thing he has ever done. But hiding is no use for a man everyone in Marseille knows and wants behind bars. The police won’t even stop until Tany Zampa is caught. Going after Tany Zampa has become personal after the death of their friend Pierre Michel. They find Tany Zampa and he goes to jail. Pierre Michel may not have been around when The French Connection ended, but he won it in spirit and his friends put an end to The French Connection to honor him.
Everyone loved Pierre Michel. He fought hard to stop The French Connection and put every criminal behind bars. Pierre Michel was loved by his family, his co-workers, his bosses, even the mayor. Pierre Michel believed in justice and he showed everyone that it can work. Pierre Michel will be remembered as a hero. Losing him is like losing Superman.
My rating on “The Connection” is five out of five stars
