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    The Connection

    Has anyone seen it? The Franco/Belgian movie based on the same true story as (surprise, surprise) The French Connection.

    I enjoyed it but it is a bit opaque at times. Primarily through deliberately styling the two male leads (the drug kingpin and crusading magistrate) to look almost identical.

    Throughout the film I got confused by certain characters popping up unexplained, others seemingly disappearing and other sets of similar looking/acting characters.

    If anyone can share any insights I have a couple of questions.

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    #2
    The Connection

    I saw this last night, at a rather botched screening, but the film gripped and charmed me enough once it started.

    My problem with Dujardin as the investigator was not the similarity with the gangster (tho I agree they did it on purpose, seeking a Heat-style face-off), but his usual comic persona- for the 1st 20 mins I expected him to burst into song or walk into the office with no trousers

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      #3
      The Connection

      **************SPOILER ALERT*************

      Ah good, perhaps you can answer a few questions of mine;

      a) The mobster who is permanently wearing sunglasses and was upset that Zampa doesn't let him "double down" on a deal early on - he's not 'Crazy Horse', is he?

      They are similar characters but I don't think they are the same person, unless the sunglasses mysteriously disappeared halfway through which changed his look a lot.

      If he's not 'Crazy Horse', what happened to him? He just drifts out of the plot.

      b) Are the Minassian brothers suddenly introduced in to the plot when Magistrate Michel confronts the Mayor? Or had they been involved before but we hadn't known/I hadn't caught their names?

      c) The guys in jail near the end who order the hit on Michel. Where have they come from?! They talk about being left in jail by the Corsicans (the crooked cops, I presume) and letting Zampa take the blame for the murder but I'm not sure of their previous relation to either.

      d) Marco Da Costa who rats out La French near the end, he's the same guy who Zampa forced to sniff his whole coke supply near the start of the movie, yes?

      I'm normally pretty good at following even the most internecine plots and family trees that mob movies throw up but I was a little lost on all of the above. Maybe it was just watching a lengthy, subtitled movie alone at the end of a long day but there was a lot of "Who with the what now?" for me.

      I liked it though, will certainly have another look when it comes out on DVD too. By the way, the director has confirmed that the two mail leads being near identical was deliberate to show them as "two sides of the same coin". It came over a little heavy-handedly done for me though.

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        #4
        The Connection

        Sorry for slow reponse, Harry- log in difficulties at home.

        **************SPOILER ALERT*************

        a) He IS Crazy Horse (le fada in Marseillais dialect)

        b) they may be mentioned earlier, but they are intro'd as important once the mayor connection emerges, yes

        c) the darker/balding guy in jail has been a lingering presence behind/alongside Zampa throughout- maybe his lawyer/accpountant, I thought. the hairy ginge not as important/not noticeable (by me anyway) earlier.

        d) Da Costa- yes. His girlfriend/relationship are also set up at that stage (the coke sniffing), they are offended that she wears the trousers/he doesn't live there.

        I guess not having to rely so much on the subtitles (tho' my Neapolitan wasn't up to it in the New York scenes!) allows greater facial recognition etc to set in

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          #5
          The Connection

          ***************STILL SPOILERS************

          Oh, thanks for this, clears up a lot.

          Crazy Horse really changes his look then. I wonder why they did that?

          I presume the "lawyer/accountant" must be The Banker who acts as Zampa's consigliere throughout and ends up getting pulled in to the actual transfer/manufacture of the heroin.

          Again, he looks way different when out of his suit and in jail for the final scene. It's funny that film which has been acknowledged for taking such care in getting the period detail and look right throws up so much confusion regarding the costume and aesthetic.

          Although I am beginning to acknowledge I was having a very off night with regard to recognition.

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