The Connection (La French)

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Cedric Jimenez/Starring: Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Celine Sallette, Melanie Doutey, and Benoit Magimel

Cedric Jimenez's The Connection could easily be deemed the French perspective of William Friedkin's The French Connection. In Friedkin's film, we see the pervasive impact of the french heroin trade on America, specifically New York. In Jimenez's film, the story and action takes place in Marseilles, which served as a kind of hub for the international drug trafficking scene in the 70s' and 80s'.

Loosely based on real events, the film tells the story of Magistrate Pierre Michel's (Jean Dujardin; best known for The Artist) mission to combat the French mob's drug-trafficking efforts in Marseilles. Having been promoted from a position where contact with junkies was an integral part of his job description, Michel's first-hand knowledge of heroin's deleterious effects on the population made his appointment a sound and logical move.

Gaëtan 'Tany' Zampa (a terrific Gilles Lellouche); a cunning, ruthless and very dangerous crime overlord, manages the heroin trade whose most lucrative market is New York. Targeted by the DEA and the French government, Zampa proves to be elusive prey. With scant evidence with which to convict him, Zampa is able to operate with near impunity. Michel's task force's intensive and exhaustive surveillance and wiretapping efforts yield few results as they discover just how wily Zampa can be.

We see the fiendishly clever methods by which Zampa's organization operates. In cans usually reserved for perishable food items, heroin is sealed therein; the label bearing mundane information about the content it purportedly carries. The deception is but one of many.

Michel's obsessive pursuit leaves his wife Jacqueline (Celine Sallette) impatient and apprehensive.
But Zampa is prone to anxieties of his own. As Michel is keen to point out to his adversary during a rare, face to face encounter; many within his organization covet the drug lord's crown. His assertion is validated when one of Zampa's trusted subordinates, Le Fou (Benoit Magimel) decides to appropriate protection money, which earns him his boss' wrath and a bullet-ridden body. But he survives the near-lethal encounter and shortly thereafter, he goes on retributive rampage, which sparks a war with his former clan. During a hit on one of Zampa's strongholds, two of Zampa's most trusted associates are gunned down, which causes an escalation in hostilities.

In the midst of an arranged meeting between the warlords at a local restaurant heavily surveilled by Michel's men, Le Fou's attempted assassination of Zampa is preempted by plainclothes police. Though Le Fou is arrested, Zampa avoids handcuffs when his gun is quickly concealed by the sympathetic bartender. As Michel arrives on the scene to arrest Zampa, he is humiliated when he learns the mob boss has again avoided self-incrimination. To further humiliate Michel, Zampa walks arrogantly past him; knowing the Magistrate has again come up empty-handed.

In time, Michel's zealous pursuit begins to abrade his relationships with the police commissioner and high-ranking officials in the local government. As a result, he is removed from the case.

But opportunities to arrest Zampa re-emerge and Michel is offered a chance to have himself reinstated in the case. As part of his new campaign to apprehend Zampa, Michel travels to Washington to meet with DEA officials. Michel finds he is highly esteemed by his American colleagues for his courageous pursuit of Zampa.

Michel finds he must contend with his wife's renewed angst but she realizes Michel's resolve is an irresistible force she can't impede.

As the film nears an explosive climax, we see Michel must not only contend with Zampa but the newly-discovered corruption in his department. Knowing he can trust few of his colleagues, he forms a new task force. But, in spite of his courage, Michel is naively unaware of the forces marshaled against him.

The ending is rather downer; a triumphant victory eludes Michel and a case against Zampa is made for reasons having nothing to do with his drug-trafficking.

The film's greatest strength lay in its performances. Lellouche, the hero of Fred Cavaye's terrific film Point Blank, plays a markedly different character in Zampa. He gives us a venom and menace mobster who is greatly troubled by those who would usurp him as well as the loss of his influence. Dujardin continues to build on an excellent body of work. His Magistrate Michel isn't a stiff, morally upright do-gooder but a determined lawman who occasionally compromises his ethics and sacrifices domestic bliss to apprehend Zampa. Dujardin plays him exceptionally well.

The film maintains a steady pace though it could have used more of what Friedkin's movie had in surplus; intensity. I also found myself trying to keep character names and faces straight. But the film is highly entertaining, if not gripping, and if kept me wondering how long a seemingly beleaguered Michel would hold out against Zampa's mob and those supposedly on his side.

The film draws some interesting parallels between Zampa and Michel. Both are family men, though it is odd to think Zampa is more devoted to his wife and children. Both contend with betrayal from within their ranks. It is also interesting to note that neither is the agent of his nemesis' fate.

The Connection is certainly worth a gander, but I think it could have been much better. It certainly isn't a failure but like many good movies, it's few flaws were significant enough to deny it greatness. It is still welcome relief from multiplex muck.