67
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiRogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiWhile the results inevitably pale in comparison to "The French Connection" — which could be said about virtually every other film currently in release — they do make for an above-average work that offers viewers a new perspective on a familiar story.
- 75New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithA passable French homage to the American crime epic, The Connection has plenty of visual style to go with stock characters.
- 75Slant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneSlant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneThe film feels utterly infatuated by the cop/crook dividing line long-since drawn, if not flogged, by Michael Mann.
- 75Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerFrom scene to scene The Connection is never less than watchable, although it is also never less than predictable.
- 70The DissolveScott TobiasThe DissolveScott TobiasThe grace notes in Dujardin’s performance are an important booster for The Connection, which conspicuously lacks the grit and flavor of William Friedkin’s tangentially related The French Connection, and at worst unfolds like Scorsese-lite.
- 60The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisFetishizing the tired tokens of the American gangster movie, The Connection is a slickly styled, overlong pastiche. Yet its denizens have a retro glamour and the soundtrack a shameless literalness that’s rather endearing.
- 60Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleDespite the pedestrian screenplay (by Jimenez and Audrey Diwan), Dujardin and Lellouche are magnetic performers who slip easily into their antagonistic roles.
- 58The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloWithout a hair-trigger renegade like Popeye Doyle or a long-awaited De Niro-Pacino showdown at its center, this procedural account, running well over two hours, takes on a certain plodding, obligatory vibe.
- 50Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlIt's a fleet, engrossing, familiar drama, a movie that's forever moving.
- 50The PlaylistJessica KiangThe PlaylistJessica KiangThe Connection feels at best like a cover version of the classic American crime films of the 1970s, and at worst like so much glossily mounted karaoke.