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Maria Duarte reviews 'The Connection'

The Connection (15) Directed by Cedric Jimenez 3/5

THIS gritty and stylish ’70s crime thriller explores the actual French connection to William Friedkin’s 1971 classic film.

Loosely based on true events, it chronicles the story of real-life Marseilles magistrate Pierre Michel (Jean Dujardin), his relentless years-long pursuit of one of France’s most powerful drug-smuggling rings and his taking down of kingpin Gaetan “Tany” Zampa (Gilles Lellouche).

Despite his dodgy ’70s sideburns, Dujardin is compelling as Michel who, on his deadly crusade, meets his match in Zampa, brilliantly played by Lellouche.

Yet their long-awaited confrontation is a bit of a damp squib. Even so, the pair make charismatic adversaries in a captivating thriller that looks and feels like it was shot in the late 1970s.Although not quite in the same league as Friedkin’s superlative film, Jimenez’s is still a thrilling ride. 

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