Fun fact: this car scene was kinda an actual car chase. The director made the stunt man drive the car in the middle of street of Brooklyn without any acknowledge from the people and drivers there so they can capture real reactions. (It's illegal but apparently nothing happened to them)
Wrestling Is Fun 86 Street first, then New Utrecht Avenue. Another fun fact: the then-brand new cars that were used in the chase scene on the tracks, NYC Subway cars 4572 and 4573, are now part of the system's museum fleet (although other members of its car class still run today). 86 Street would become familiar a few years later in some of the scenes in Saturday Night Fever (although most of that move took place in Bay Ridge, further west).
Samuel Langshteyn that's almost the story. but it was actually Bill Hickman who is The Stunt Driver who had the idea to do it that way after the director was unhappy with how the chase scenes were coming out. Bill told the director to show up at a corner with his camera so he did and started filming from the back seat.
The great Bill Hickman: William "Bill" Hickman was a stunt driver, actor, and stunt coordinator. Hickman played a major role in terms of development and execution in three of the greatest movie car chase sequences of all time: Bullitt, The French Connection and The Seven-Ups, all shot on actual city streets.
Cars back then had all-metal bodies and no airbags. Selt belts were relatively new but few people used them. Gene Hackman and the stunt drivers had guts to do this scene.
And from what I've learned today from a TIL apparently it was all shot without a permit or permission from the city, which resulted in a lot of close calls with other drivers and pedestrians. The director shot it himself since all the camera operators were "married with children".
midnitesquirldog1 today’s cars a lot safer than metal cars because they are designed to compress and absorb impact. Metal cars are tougher, but you will basically crushed from the inside, even get killed by your seatbelt, because impact won’t be absorbed. I’d rather have my car completely totaled and get covered by insurance, rather than lose my life.
guarantee you when this was first uploaded back in 2013, the quality was better. over the years youtube changed its compression methods over time and this destroyed the quality of once-sharp videos.
Superb editing and sound effects, hearing the sound effects of the car going at full speed and the sound effects of the train as the car was keeping up with it, made this such an iconic chase scene, brilliant film, good locations to stage it, helped give it a edgy, raw feel, brilliant performances by all the actors and an absolutely awesome stunts driving by the late Bill Hickman, R.I.P, the French Connection is and always will be a iconic and classic film .
That accident at the 2:42 mark was a real accident. The guy driving the white car had no idea they were filming a movie and he crashed into the car and Friedkin liked it so much he kept it in.
@NASTY CANASTA Something about the GTO sedan kind of doesn't exist in my mind like a four door camaro. Sometimes seeing the Malibu in sedan or the wagon is bizarre. The Judge Fascia on the front and rear is Refreshing to say the least.
@midnitesquirldog1 The last year for the 326 was 1967. The Tempest/LeMans in this video is an early 1970's version. Starting in 1968 the 350 was the standard engine in the Tempest/LeMans.
Goodbye my R-42 Subway Car friend 😞😭🥂🎆🎂 it is been a great pleasure riding with you. And thank you for your dedicated service with MTA/ New York City Transit Authority Association RIP 1969-2020
Congratulations to Owen Roizman, the cinematographer of The French Connection (and this scene in particular) on being announced as a 2017 recipient of the Honorary Oscar!
You simply DON'T see films as creative, gritty or realistic as The French Connection these days. Tension runs high throughout the film...I mean you even 2:16 is awesome because it shows New Yorkers having eachother's backs when they know something isn't right. While most action films just has everyone screaming and crying and running. I can see why this was the first R-Rated film to ever receive the Academy Award for BEST PICTURE. Well deserved.
Finntastique umm...they didnt even like gene hackman for the part because he was so much softer than the real popeye doyle...who's real name was egan by the way...just...fyi...shows how good of an actor he is though...
dragna sullaway According to Wikipedia, the wrecks were accidental, caused by poor timing by the stunt people. It made the chase so much better! You could tell that Gene Hackman was rattled by the real-life crashes, and that adds to the scene.
Just read of the passing of Jerry Greenberg, whose Oscar-winning editing made this sequence so memorable. Also his work in "The Seven-Ups," another great car chase scene.
Best chase scene ever! A Wikipedia page about train stop brakes brought me here. You can see the sparks from the mechanism when there is a closeup of the front of the train next to the wheel. I have to ride this train soon, like when I rode Pittsburgh's T, like in the scene from Three Days After, starring Kurt Russell.
Tried to remember what one of the inspirations for Driver was, and I was not disappointed, this still gets me even though I didn't watch the movie...maybe I should.
Not only is this one of my top 5 favorite films and the best Urban Crime Drama ever made, with the best foot car train chase ever filmed, as well as being the first R Rated movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, its also an amazingly profound Documentary Time Capsule film of New York City life during the winter of 1971, with and all of its diverse people and the cars and trucks, the food, the buildings and the architecture, the colors, the lights, the clothing, the hair styles, jewelry, hats and shoes, the stores, the signs, the sounds, the houses, the furniture, the streets, the talk and the World Trade Centers during construction, so very provocative to see, hear and feel, remember this was not so long ago.
Heart pounding, edge of your seat action here. Not many actors do even most or some of their own driving even when it's just casual. And without any cheesy action music ups the wow factor past 11.
As someone growing up in a modern era where action movies are everywhere, the train race here is my favourite action scene and has thrilled me than most other actions movies today. It was just directed so well!
one of the amazing things about this seeing is that the Stunt Driver Bill Hickman did this completely unpermitted in the streets of New York. the director was not happy with how the chase scenes were coming out so he told him to meet him on a corner in New York with his camera. so he got in the backseat and started filming. Bill Hickman is also the guy who was supposed to be transporting James Dean's spider when he crashed. James was on his way to a race and decided he wanted to warm the car up before getting there. bill was in a station wagon with a trailer behind him and was the one to pull him from the wreckage.
Most memorable GTA missions are ripped pretty shamelessly from movies. I think there are missions in both IV and V ripped almost scene-for-scene from Heat.
Greatest chase scene ever , and the build up to it is intense as hell. Popeye gets thrown off special assignment and as he's walking home this sniper tries to take him out and BOOM the chase is on. No music, just unbelievable editing and shots, and all this done on a shoe string budget with no permits. 1970s were the absolute best decade ever for movies, just sheer brilliance.
Absolutely brilliant. The only car chase from a recent movie that I feel was exciting and didn't depend on fancy cgi was the one in The Raid 2 (awesome movie too)
This chase scene could have ended up being a normal car chase with one car chasing after another car. But the director wanted to do something different. And it ended up being a iconic car chase with a car chasing a metro train throughout heavy traffic of New York City of 1971.
That out of this world classical BMT N Train in a sunshine orange/gold subway route decal sign (unfortunately supposed to be a IND B train) was definitely a classic best car-train chase scene ever. It was just a 1971 movie. However, as time goes by , today (2018) that West End Line, unfortunately runs by today's IND Concourse-West End D Train service. Ouch! Anyway thanks for the clip of the French Connection movie 😎🇺🇸🗽
My parents used to take me to completely inappropriate movies when I was a kid. M*A*S*H when I was 5, The French Connection, when I was 8, Jaws at 11, finally they got it right when taking me to see Star Wars at 13. At least I saw "Taxi Driver" and "The Exorcist" as an adult on VHS. I miss my parents!
I always thought that random dude that takes two black panther guys to confront the hit man was pretty bad ass. He wasn't armed and went in any way. A true public servant hero.
And to this day, the New York City Transit Museum preserved R42 subway cars (N train but supposed B train) car nos. 4572 and 4573 as part of their collection because of this scene.
That Railbuff Guy I still like the train crash in Silver Streak, but not a chase scene. Coincidentally starring another great Gene, Gene Wilder, RIP. Speed had a nice crash too, in unfinished LA Metro.
7 років тому
some of those models are still in service! I didn't know they originally had the metal straps in them.
The truly amazing thing about this video is that apparently in this era cars did something really unusual in Brooklyn, and I had to look this up, it was called “moving”…
2:55 - ah, the N train, famous for running the West End Line. (For those who don't know, the West End Line was famously served exclusively by the B train for 34 some-odd years until it temporarily got replaced by the W in '01 and then permanently replaced by the D in '04)
I just discovered this film today. Definitely gotta watch it some time! I just realise where the developers of Driver 2 got the inspiration for the first mission from.
2:40 Real unplanned accident. The white car was being driven by a man on his way to work. He was unhurt and the studio paid for his car repairs. The director said in hindsight that this sequence was foolish and reckless and he would never do it again.
Thank you for correcting me. I hate it when people share these false stories, and now I've made the same mistake of not properly checking the facts before sharing that story.
THE greatest car chase in screen history. Three reasons why. Numero uno: It's an actual car chase (as in they got a stunt driver to floor it through about 25 blocks of oncoming traffic at speeds averaging at 90mph. Those shots from the car's bumper are not sped up. They're real. Basically, the film-makers were breaking the law, stealing the shots). Numero due: Obviously, no computer generated work was used to augment this sequence. What you see is what you get; a sort of induced documentary-style realism, which is freaking awesome to behold. Numero tre: It just is. Forget Bullitt. Forget Ronin (my number 2 chase), forget The Seven-ups, The Blues Brothers, the original Gone in 60 Seconds, The Rock, The Italian Job. And especially any CGi created car chases, like in those awful Matrix films. This is the real McCoy. Because it WAS real!! This is undisputed fact (it isn't, but what the hell). The French Connection is awesome, even after 50 years!
Ka Boom Not to mention most films taking place in NYC aren't even filmed in NYC and they do pretty shit job at recreating it. The iconic stuff is no longer presented like the elevated subways to the old styled neighborhoods.
A - It's not only that, it also a lot of film makers don't have the balls to make movies like this anymore. A lot of the French connection was filmed without any permission from the city of New York, this car chase scene they didn't have the permits, they didn't give a fuck, they just set up the cameras and filmed away. That one scene when Gene Hackman is in traffic on the Brooklyn bridge, they really DID stop traffic, that was actual traffic they created for the movie! Movies back in the 1970s were insane, they took so many chances and I suspect it was because a lot of drugs were going around at the time not to mention most of them were made by baby boomers who were in their 20s or 30s. That's why the music was better as well, younger people throw caution to the wind, they dont let fear oppress them. Now it seems to be the opposite today LOL! I see all these young directors and musicians making really banal crap. Taylor Swift #1 in music? What? WHAT? What the fuck is THAT? She's like a Debby Boone. Back in the 70s her career would have lasted a month if that
I recommend watching it again for sure. I just re-watched it last month for the first time in over 10 years, and greatly enjoyed it. I had forgotten how great this movie is.
David Connor popeye kills a cop and then we're left with a gunshot...i didnt like the ending only because it left so much up for interpretation and this was a real life drug bust...so, to take so much poetic license with events that are based on reality seems cheesey to me...
Was there several outtakes from this scene? Because the sequence looks out of place. For example he bumps into something along the way and the train he was chasing doesn't look the same in one shot?
Cars back then were built for that type of abuse back then. Try doing half of that shit he's doing with a car built today. They'll be bringing flowers to your funeral
It was noble for the train patrons to assist the train worker. But as you can see at 4:32 playing hero, especially in 1971 New York City, will get you shot.
Absolutely superb editing, makes this so tense, and exciting, and full credit must go to gene hackman for the excellent performance he did in this film and not forgetting bill hickman who did a truly exceptional job of the stunt driving, driving some 26 blocks in New York all for the reason of helping to make the french connection the absolutely amazing film that it was, along with the stunning way It was directed. A definitely brilliant film, and all the actors did a great job too. A classic film with a truly classic and cool car chase, it rates with bullit, the seven ups, McQ, to live and die in L.A. R.I.P bill Hickman, your stunt driving was exceptional and brilliant..🙏🏾👍🏾👌🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.
William Friedkin who, also, directed the Exorcist is/was a phenomenal director. That car chase is incredible. Only thing, I think that if a subway running on an EL line were to hit another train going at full speed, it would fly off the tracks on to the street. It wouldn't be the first time that a subway in NYC fell off the EL.
There's no continuity. They have scenes where the car is driving under Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn (and in the next 1 minute should be close to Coney Island where the tracks go left), and then AFTER that you have the car about 10 minutes away at 86th St. and 18th Avenue in Brooklyn, and then under the M by Myrtle Avenue...
Insane to think that this was 100% real, as in the people in the streets and sidewalks had no clue that this was a movie. Every accident was a REAL accident. Person in the white car was literally just driving and was hit. Also that's really hackman sliding sideways and smashing into the wall...theres a great video where the director talks about it in detail, there were no crashes in the script, they didn't have the funds to buy multiple cars..the clips from the front of the car perspective they illegally used a police siren and a red light on too of the car...
It's supposed to be the remastered in 5.1 but it still suffers from appalling & unnecessary amounts of harmonic distortion which the powers-that-be have done nothing to improve. There's no way I'd waste money on this Blu-ray release until Friedkin & his cronies made an effort to improve it....PROPERLY !
The great Bill Hickman was the stunt driver for this sequence (he also played FBI agent Mulderig.) Hickman did the stunt driving in 'Bullitt' (1968) and 'The Seven-Ups' (1973) which makes him the best stunt-driver in movie history. A close second would be Carey Loftin who drove the truck in 'Duel' (1971) and various vehicles in 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' (1963.)
What makes the scene great as opposed to other more highly orchestrated chases is the reality of the moment and the emotional commitment the viewer gives. When watching the chase without knowing the rest of the film the scene has no context. The movie audience wants to see Popeye Doyle catch the assassin, who had just callously shot and killed a new mother. Doyle jumping out of the car in the middle of the chase and running up the elevated train stairs shows that he is not interested in driving fast, but is desperate to arrest or kill his quarry. He is forced to chase his man because his police instincts have taken over. In context of the entire film, the viewer should not be happy to be watching an exciting scene, but dis-oriented and fearful because things are out of control.
As awesome as this scene is, it plays 100 times better when you watch it in context with the entire film.
good point . . .
JohnWesley Downey or even buying that
I watched this clip before watching the movie. It's really impressive on its own, but it's extremely intense in the context of the story
@Briscoe17555 no one was hurt and all damage was paid for and plus its great to look at.
well, that goes without saying...
Fun fact: this car scene was kinda an actual car chase. The director made the stunt man drive the car in the middle of street of Brooklyn without any acknowledge from the people and drivers there so they can capture real reactions. (It's illegal but apparently nothing happened to them)
Wrestling Is Fun 86 Street first, then New Utrecht Avenue. Another fun fact: the then-brand new cars that were used in the chase scene on the tracks, NYC Subway cars 4572 and 4573, are now part of the system's museum fleet (although other members of its car class still run today). 86 Street would become familiar a few years later in some of the scenes in Saturday Night Fever (although most of that move took place in Bay Ridge, further west).
Samuel Langshteyn that's almost the story. but it was actually Bill Hickman who is The Stunt Driver who had the idea to do it that way after the director was unhappy with how the chase scenes were coming out. Bill told the director to show up at a corner with his camera so he did and started filming from the back seat.
The transit employee that the director bribed into allowing this to happen got fired after the film came out.
Allegedly, there's some truth, some of it's myth
@@starwarsroo2448 assume the woman with the baby carriage was told!!
The great Bill Hickman:
William "Bill" Hickman was a stunt driver, actor, and stunt coordinator. Hickman played a major role in terms of development and execution in three of the greatest movie car chase sequences of all time: Bullitt, The French Connection and The Seven-Ups, all shot on actual city streets.
one thing I like about this sequence is you don't have some shitty soundtrack blaring over it, just ambient sound.
And the roar of the engine
And non stop honking of the horn. Annoying af
If the horn is what's disturbing you, then you're missing the point.@@drummist1000
@@drummist1000LOL it adds to the realism
@@drummist1000🗿
Cars back then had all-metal bodies and no airbags. Selt belts were relatively new but few people used them. Gene Hackman and the stunt drivers had guts to do this scene.
Max Power You got that right! The same could be said for the trains, although safety for both trains and cars have improved quite a bit since 1971.
And from what I've learned today from a TIL apparently it was all shot without a permit or permission from the city, which resulted in a lot of close calls with other drivers and pedestrians. The director shot it himself since all the camera operators were "married with children".
Bill Hickman, the stunt driver who drove the Pontiac was hugely talented, but he was batshit crazy and seemingly knew no fear!
midnitesquirldog1 today’s cars a lot safer than metal cars because they are designed to compress and absorb impact. Metal cars are tougher, but you will basically crushed from the inside, even get killed by your seatbelt, because impact won’t be absorbed. I’d rather have my car completely totaled and get covered by insurance, rather than lose my life.
@@FullOfBradells the scene with the woman was planned ahead
Even in shitty UA-cam quality, this chase is gripping.
guarantee you when this was first uploaded back in 2013, the quality was better. over the years youtube changed its compression methods over time and this destroyed the quality of once-sharp videos.
@@edbo10 AYE
This scene alone tells you why movies back then ARE SO MUCH BETTER than they are now.
we need realism cgi
The moment I realised cinema was dead … watching the remake of Clash of the Titans.
Superb editing and sound effects, hearing the sound effects of the car going at full speed and the sound effects of the train as the car was keeping up with it, made this such an iconic chase scene, brilliant film, good locations to stage it, helped give it a edgy, raw feel, brilliant performances by all the actors and an absolutely awesome stunts driving by the late Bill Hickman, R.I.P, the French Connection is and always will be a iconic and classic film .
RIP Billy Friedkin
That accident at the 2:42 mark was a real accident. The guy driving the white car had no idea they were filming a movie and he crashed into the car and Friedkin liked it so much he kept it in.
The owner of that Pontiac isn't going to be to happy when he gets his car back.
Is that a LeMans?
Looks good in a 4 door
@NASTY CANASTA Something about the GTO sedan kind of doesn't exist in my mind like a four door camaro.
Sometimes seeing the Malibu in sedan or the wagon is bizarre. The Judge Fascia on the front and rear is
Refreshing to say the least.
@midnitesquirldog1 The standard engine in the Tempest and LeMans was a 350.
@midnitesquirldog1 The last year for the 326 was 1967. The Tempest/LeMans in this video is an early 1970's version. Starting in 1968 the 350 was the standard engine in the Tempest/LeMans.
Brilliant, brilliant editing. It's all in the editing.
rip jerry greenberg
The train here is on display at the New York City transit museum in Brooklyn, New York.
The R42 was in the “French Connection”, but it’s now officially retired on the A train which was last week.
The R42 was in the “French Connection”, but it’s now officially retired on the A train which was last week.
@@Musicradio77Network -- Those two particular cars remain preserved (4572-3).
Goodbye my R-42 Subway Car friend 😞😭🥂🎆🎂 it is been a great pleasure riding with you. And thank you for your dedicated service with MTA/ New York City Transit Authority Association
RIP 1969-2020
Now I see where driver 2 got its inspiration from
Not only! The gta 4 mission:,,The Puerto Rican Connection" is also inspired by this movie scene! (Im 5 years late lol)
@@kinotheidiot its ok. I'm still alive
@@ZombryaTheDark Oh i didn't expected you to answer this F A S T! Your youtube notification actually got me scared lol.
Congratulations to Owen Roizman, the cinematographer of The French Connection (and this scene in particular) on being announced as a 2017 recipient of the Honorary Oscar!
One of the greatest car chase scenes ever from the Gene Hackman Movie about Heroin trade in New York and France. "The French Connection:.
Simply brilliant.To hell with health and safety back then.Gene deserved the Oscar he got for this film.
Man the fact that this scene was practically real was just amazing
You simply DON'T see films as creative, gritty or realistic as The French Connection these days. Tension runs high throughout the film...I mean you even 2:16 is awesome because it shows New Yorkers having eachother's backs when they know something isn't right. While most action films just has everyone screaming and crying and running.
I can see why this was the first R-Rated film to ever receive the Academy Award for BEST PICTURE. Well deserved.
Mark Hazleton I heard from watchmojo, that this was done without permits, it's real.
Pretty sure they still makes films nowadays gritty and realistic. You're just not watching enough films.
Mark Hazleton The Bourne series of films are very realistic.
I wud definitely say this was ONE of the most dangerous car chase s ever filmed, I wish They Still made movies like this no CGI bullshit
@@lonewolfmcquade1079
See Bad boys 2 car chase.
Gene Hackman is truly an old-school hard man!
Finntastique umm...they didnt even like gene hackman for the part because he was so much softer than the real popeye doyle...who's real name was egan by the way...just...fyi...shows how good of an actor he is though...
Well, Popey must have been a real badass if Hackman was considered soft portraying him. Thanks for the info.
The real Egan played Popeye's boss in the movie.
@@porflepopnecker4376 Yes
Gene Hackman it's the twice Oscar for best performance
man he tore the hell out of that pontiac lemans you all agree
dragna sullaway According to Wikipedia, the wrecks were accidental, caused by poor timing by the stunt people. It made the chase so much better! You could tell that Gene Hackman was rattled by the real-life crashes, and that adds to the scene.
5:21 and here comes Niko Bellic
Cousin, let us go bowling!
@@visionist7 AW SHIT HERE WE GO AGAIN
Are you alright, cousin?
Let's go bowling
lol gotta love how Rockstar appreciates classic movies and music
I love Hackman's face at 3:31
love that badass tracking shot starting at 1:43
Just read of the passing of Jerry Greenberg, whose Oscar-winning editing made this sequence so memorable. Also his work in "The Seven-Ups," another great car chase scene.
This was filmed in my neighborhood love this movie
Best chase scene ever! A Wikipedia page about train stop brakes brought me here. You can see the sparks from the mechanism when there is a closeup of the front of the train next to the wheel. I have to ride this train soon, like when I rode Pittsburgh's T, like in the scene from Three Days After, starring Kurt Russell.
Tried to remember what one of the inspirations for Driver was, and I was not disappointed, this still gets me even though I didn't watch the movie...maybe I should.
I watched yesterday, and believe me, you should, this is amazing.
Own it on DVD, but got to see it in theaters last weekend. The redone audio was awesome on this scene
RIP William Friedkin. Director of my favorite movie ever- The Exorcist
Gene Hackman was just so awesome in these roles.
Gene Hackman. Certified Bad Ass.
Man, I felt my blood pressure go up every time the tires screeched. Pretty neato if you ask me.
Someone needs to get this scene in its entirety from the moment the man from Marseille takes a shot at Popeye
Masterful editing and sound.
Not only is this one of my top 5 favorite films and the best Urban Crime Drama ever made, with the best foot car train chase ever filmed, as well as being the first R Rated movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, its also an amazingly profound Documentary Time Capsule film of New York City life during the winter of 1971, with and all of its diverse people and the cars and trucks, the food, the buildings and the architecture, the colors, the lights, the clothing, the hair styles, jewelry, hats and shoes, the stores, the signs, the sounds, the houses, the furniture, the streets, the talk and the World Trade Centers during construction, so very provocative to see, hear and feel, remember this was not so long ago.
5:29 I keep thinking of that scene in the Blues Brothers when they leave their car and it just falls to pieces lol.
The Blues Brothers was clearly paying homage to this movie with the chase under the Chicago El tracks. Great chase in that one too.
Heart pounding, edge of your seat action here. Not many actors do even most or some of their own driving even when it's just casual. And without any cheesy action music ups the wow factor past 11.
As someone growing up in a modern era where action movies are everywhere, the train race here is my favourite action scene and has thrilled me than most other actions movies today. It was just directed so well!
one of the amazing things about this seeing is that the Stunt Driver Bill Hickman did this completely unpermitted in the streets of New York. the director was not happy with how the chase scenes were coming out so he told him to meet him on a corner in New York with his camera. so he got in the backseat and started filming. Bill Hickman is also the guy who was supposed to be transporting James Dean's spider when he crashed. James was on his way to a race and decided he wanted to warm the car up before getting there. bill was in a station wagon with a trailer behind him and was the one to pull him from the wreckage.
Best. Car. Chase. In. Movie. History. Period!!
Martin White For me it’s still Bullit.
la cinématographique est magnifique en cette film
Requiem PorMi Oui! C'est magnifique!
It's funny how this came out almost fifty years ago, and it has almost zero shaky cam, despite having less filmmaking tools to work with.
so that mission in GTA 4 is based on this... nice
Driver 2 had one too in a Chicago mission.
eldo59 i was gonna mention Driver2
Most memorable GTA missions are ripped pretty shamelessly from movies. I think there are missions in both IV and V ripped almost scene-for-scene from Heat.
Kelly Gaumont - They're pretty much references.
Christopher Ryan Curtis no references are different from rippofs
Greatest chase scene ever , and the build up to it is intense as hell. Popeye gets thrown off special assignment and as he's walking home this sniper tries to take him out and BOOM the chase is on. No music, just unbelievable editing and shots, and all this done on a shoe string budget with no permits. 1970s were the absolute best decade ever for movies, just sheer brilliance.
Absolutely brilliant. The only car chase from a recent movie that I feel was exciting and didn't depend on fancy cgi was the one in The Raid 2 (awesome movie too)
+II DIRECTx II Ronin was pretty good as well.
Ashley Pomeroy I agree, and was a really good movie too.
@@TheReversal888 Read again
Just follow the train, CJ!
This chase scene could have ended up being a normal car chase with one car chasing after another car. But the director wanted to do something different. And it ended up being a iconic car chase with a car chasing a metro train throughout heavy traffic of New York City of 1971.
That out of this world classical BMT N Train in a sunshine orange/gold subway route decal sign (unfortunately supposed to be a IND B train) was definitely a classic best car-train chase scene ever. It was just a 1971 movie.
However, as time goes by , today (2018) that West End Line, unfortunately runs by today's IND Concourse-West End D Train service. Ouch!
Anyway thanks for the clip of the French Connection movie 😎🇺🇸🗽
2:41 This collision is real, the driver was not part of the production and had unknowingly driven into the area they were filming in.
"the area they were filming in" you mean the public streets, they had no permit or zone to film.
Driver 2 videogame... One of the first missions is just like this.. awesome!
driver was inspired by a few other old 70s movies too
BluWarta92 watch?v=MfzVYMqVBJU
0:21 That car was in the TOMM (Train Of many Metals)
Wanna feel old?: "The French Connection" was released in theaters on Oct. 9, 1971...47 years ago!
My parents used to take me to completely inappropriate movies when I was a kid. M*A*S*H when I was 5, The French Connection, when I was 8, Jaws at 11, finally they got it right when taking me to see Star Wars at 13. At least I saw "Taxi Driver" and "The Exorcist" as an adult on VHS. I miss my parents!
Now 49 years ago
@@luisl2838 bxbuff wrote this comment when 1971 was 47 years ago
I always thought that random dude that takes two black panther guys to confront the hit man was pretty bad ass. He wasn't armed and went in any way. A true public servant hero.
And to this day, the New York City Transit Museum preserved R42 subway cars (N train but supposed B train) car nos. 4572 and 4573 as part of their collection because of this scene.
That Railbuff Guy I was already planning to visit, but now I have another reason! Thanks for the info. Best chase scene ever.
That Railbuff Guy I still like the train crash in Silver Streak, but not a chase scene. Coincidentally starring another great Gene, Gene Wilder, RIP. Speed had a nice crash too, in unfinished LA Metro.
some of those models are still in service! I didn't know they originally had the metal straps in them.
Best Hickman car chases
1 The Sevens up
2 Bullitt
3 The French Connection
Oh wow, just posted the same
Im from Brooklyn, my mom saw this and saturday night fever being filmed. This is in Bensonhurst
I hear screeching wheels from thomas and friends in season 1-1-2 before it was a train crash
Gene is driving a 1971 Pontiac in one of the best chase scene in movies history.
The truly amazing thing about this video is that apparently in this era cars did something really unusual in Brooklyn, and I had to look this up, it was called “moving”…
2:55 - ah, the N train, famous for running the West End Line.
(For those who don't know, the West End Line was famously served exclusively by the B train for 34 some-odd years until it temporarily got replaced by the W in '01 and then permanently replaced by the D in '04)
5:06 that's the break sound effects from the early Thomas and friends episodes in the 80s
Seeing that this film is from the early 1970's its not "from" thomas and friends.
I just discovered this film today.
Definitely gotta watch it some time!
I just realise where the developers of Driver 2 got the inspiration for the first mission from.
2:40 Real unplanned accident. The white car was being driven by a man on his way to work. He was unhurt and the studio paid for his car repairs. The director said in hindsight that this sequence was foolish and reckless and he would never do it again.
Thank you for correcting me. I hate it when people share these false stories, and now I've made the same mistake of not properly checking the facts before sharing that story.
THE greatest car chase in screen history. Three reasons why. Numero uno: It's an actual car chase (as in they got a stunt driver to floor it through about 25 blocks of oncoming traffic at speeds averaging at 90mph. Those shots from the car's bumper are not sped up. They're real. Basically, the film-makers were breaking the law, stealing the shots). Numero due: Obviously, no computer generated work was used to augment this sequence. What you see is what you get; a sort of induced documentary-style realism, which is freaking awesome to behold. Numero tre: It just is. Forget Bullitt. Forget Ronin (my number 2 chase), forget The Seven-ups, The Blues Brothers, the original Gone in 60 Seconds, The Rock, The Italian Job. And especially any CGi created car chases, like in those awful Matrix films. This is the real McCoy. Because it WAS real!! This is undisputed fact (it isn't, but what the hell). The French Connection is awesome, even after 50 years!
Bill Hickman was the driver (in some shape or form) in three of the greatest car chases in movie history.
This, Bullitt and The Seven Ups
They don't make movies like that anymore. Today all we get is comic book shit
I would love to see something raw like this shot nowadays. Maybe Gran Torino or Rush are great movies.
Ka Boom Not to mention most films taking place in NYC aren't even filmed in NYC and they do pretty shit job at recreating it. The iconic stuff is no longer presented like the elevated subways to the old styled neighborhoods.
A - It's not only that, it also a lot of film makers don't have the balls to make movies like this anymore. A lot of the French connection was filmed without any permission from the city of New York, this car chase scene they didn't have the permits, they didn't give a fuck, they just set up the cameras and filmed away. That one scene when Gene Hackman is in traffic on the Brooklyn bridge, they really DID stop traffic, that was actual traffic they created for the movie! Movies back in the 1970s were insane, they took so many chances and I suspect it was because a lot of drugs were going around at the time not to mention most of them were made by baby boomers who were in their 20s or 30s. That's why the music was better as well, younger people throw caution to the wind, they dont let fear oppress them. Now it seems to be the opposite today LOL! I see all these young directors and musicians making really banal crap. Taylor Swift #1 in music? What? WHAT? What the fuck is THAT? She's like a Debby Boone. Back in the 70s her career would have lasted a month if that
Ka Boom Watch The Raid 2 my friend
Ka Boom shut the fuck up ! don't blame it to comic book
There's a mission in GTA IV that resembles that scene
roggeralves94 There's also a mission in the Driver 2 game as well, I think.
Bill Hickman did most of the dangerous driving here. Amazing driver.
Now I want to see how it ends! Haven't seen the movie in forever.
I recommend watching it again for sure. I just re-watched it last month for the first time in over 10 years, and greatly enjoyed it. I had forgotten how great this movie is.
frog 1 gets away. TBC F Connection 2
Donnie Skuza ROFLMFAO! Your anti-spoiler-alert reaction just made my day! Thanks, man. I needed that.
David Connor popeye kills a cop and then we're left with a gunshot...i didnt like the ending only because it left so much up for interpretation and this was a real life drug bust...so, to take so much poetic license with events that are based on reality seems cheesey to me...
Donnie Skuza That's some A-grade trolling right there.
It's rare that an action/chase scene has tension, this scene is LOADED with it.
Yes, there were stuntman and -drivers but Mr. Hackman did some amazing driving by himself.
Amazing how the cars in these movies with chase scenes never get a flat tire,never bust a ball joint,never overheat,etc….amazing !
5:09 R42 N Train #4572 Collides With R38 B Train. *Years Later*. And That's How I Got Attached With The R38.
This is me going to work every morning.
Cinemasins/Screen Junkies brought me here.
When I hire taxis in New York City the middle eastern drivers that smell bad drive just like that.
pendeja
I. Wynn Wynn we just gonna ignore the fact that you’ve just listed stereotypes with no facts or what
Mcr2 Dcr3 ok snowflake
@@mcr2dcr348 shut up pussy
@@sitdowndogbreath go please a women or something you fuckin liberal
Was there several outtakes from this scene? Because the sequence looks out of place. For example he bumps into something along the way and the train he was chasing doesn't look the same in one shot?
Cars back then were built for that type of abuse back then. Try doing half of that shit he's doing with a car built today. They'll be bringing flowers to your funeral
RIP R42's. 1969/1971-2020.
It was noble for the train patrons to assist the train worker. But as you can see at 4:32 playing hero, especially in 1971 New York City, will get you shot.
Absolutely superb editing, makes this so tense, and exciting, and full credit must go to gene hackman for the excellent performance he did in this film and not forgetting bill hickman who did a truly exceptional job of the stunt driving, driving some 26 blocks in New York all for the reason of helping to make the french connection the absolutely amazing film that it was, along with the stunning way It was directed. A definitely brilliant film, and all the actors did a great job too. A classic film with a truly classic and cool car chase, it rates with bullit, the seven ups, McQ, to live and die in L.A. R.I.P bill Hickman, your stunt driving was exceptional and brilliant..🙏🏾👍🏾👌🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.
William Friedkin who, also, directed the Exorcist is/was a phenomenal director. That car chase is incredible. Only thing, I think that if a subway running on an EL line were to hit another train going at full speed, it would fly off the tracks on to the street. It wouldn't be the first time that a subway in NYC fell off the EL.
One of the two best chases in movie history, IMO. Of course, we all know the other one.
i don't
Anyone else here from the moviefight?
Me
Same
Chris C Indeed. Cinemasins should've won
Chris C yes!
Chris C I am
There's no continuity. They have scenes where the car is driving under Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn (and in the next 1 minute should be close to Coney Island where the tracks go left), and then AFTER that you have the car about 10 minutes away at 86th St. and 18th Avenue in Brooklyn, and then under the M by Myrtle Avenue...
Insane to think that this was 100% real, as in the people in the streets and sidewalks had no clue that this was a movie. Every accident was a REAL accident. Person in the white car was literally just driving and was hit. Also that's really hackman sliding sideways and smashing into the wall...theres a great video where the director talks about it in detail, there were no crashes in the script, they didn't have the funds to buy multiple cars..the clips from the front of the car perspective they illegally used a police siren and a red light on too of the car...
The woman with the stroller was a stunt person.
I love how the car engine speeding up is the REAL music for a car chase
2:41 the driver is just go a few blocks and his white car is obliterated because that crash and the repair bill was paid by the producer
In this scene playing above- is English mono or dts 5.1 surround playing? An answer would be very much appreciated, thanks!
It's supposed to be the remastered in 5.1 but it still suffers from appalling & unnecessary amounts of harmonic distortion which the powers-that-be have done nothing to improve. There's no way I'd waste money on this Blu-ray release until Friedkin & his cronies made an effort to improve it....PROPERLY !
There was a mission in Grand Theft Auto 4 which pretty much rips this scene off.
The great Bill Hickman was the stunt driver for this sequence (he also played FBI agent Mulderig.) Hickman did the stunt driving in 'Bullitt' (1968) and 'The Seven-Ups' (1973) which makes him the best stunt-driver in movie history. A close second would be Carey Loftin who drove the truck in 'Duel' (1971) and various vehicles in 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' (1963.)
i believe this movie won an oscar for best movie in 1973:)
Released in 1971; won the Oscar at 1972 Oscar ceremony.
thanks for the info jordan
that white car that he hit was a real driver. They did that whole scene in real new york with no filming permits, crazy
Breath taking..
Prototype obsessed cop.
0:19 - RIP: R42 (1969-2020)
What makes the scene great as opposed to other more highly orchestrated chases is the reality of the moment and the emotional commitment the viewer gives. When watching the chase without knowing the rest of the film the scene has no context. The movie audience wants to see Popeye Doyle catch the assassin, who had just callously shot and killed a new mother. Doyle jumping out of the car in the middle of the chase and running up the elevated train stairs shows that he is not interested in driving fast, but is desperate to arrest or kill his quarry. He is forced to chase his man because his police instincts have taken over. In context of the entire film, the viewer should not be happy to be watching an exciting scene, but dis-oriented and fearful because things are out of control.
5:07 The same sound effect is used in Planet of the Apes (1968) when they find Stewart's dead body and the spaceship gets flooded.
The father of movie car chases.
This is a good scene, but the father of movie car chases would be Bullitt (1968)