The French Connection

EXT. LE VALLON

Opening shot - High angle on Lincoln along small bay with

boats.

Ext. Bar - Waist to full figure Pan Right to Left. Detective

comes out eating pizza, looking around. He crosses street

and stops against wall of impasse Michael.

He looks O.S. left,

His POV - L.S. of Lincoln behind fishing nets.

Waist shot of Detective looking and eating.

M.S. of Lincoln.

C.S. of Detective looking O.S. Left.

Pan Right to Left with Charnier coming out from Fonfon with

three friends and they walk to the Lincoln.

Pan Left to Right with Lincoln passing in front of the

Detective.

EXT. CAFE LA SAMARITAINE

High angle from balcony. Zoom on Detective seated at the

cafe, reading a newspaper.

Cut on Lincoln along sidewalk of the cafe, then zoom back to

discover Detective seated.

EXT. MARSEILLE STREETS

Low angle from stairs Rue des Repenties and Pan Left to

Right to Rue Sainte Francoise following the Detective.

Pan Left to Right with Detective from Rue des Repenties to

Rue Baussenque.

Low angle between Rue des Moulins and Rue des Accoules with

Detective passing by.

Ext. Rue du Panier - The Detective comes out from the bakery

camera Right and starts to climb up Rue des Moulins with his

bread.

EXT. STREET

High angle - on No. 50 Rue des Moulins. Pan Left to Right

with Detective coming up the street with his bread and going

inside his house, starting to open his letter-box.

2.

INT. CORRIDOR

High angle - complete reverse. As the Detective starts to

open his letter-box in B.G. a hand pointing a gun moves in

foreground and blows off half of the French Detective's head

with the first shot.

Cut to Nicoli C.S. who just fired.

EXT. A BAR IN BED-STUY - DAY

A large man in a Santa Claus suit and white beard is

entertaining a group of black children. He leads them in

the singing of a Christmas Carol (Hark the Herald Angels

Sing). The man is DETECTIVE FIRST GRADE JIMMY DOYLE. His

attention is split between the children and the activity

inside the bar.

INT. THE BAR - DOYLE'S POV - DAY

The place is crowded with mid-day drinkers. Dimly outlined

at the far end of the bar are TWO BLACK MEN involved in some

kind of transaction in which a package is exchanged for

money. As the transaction seems to be completed, cut to

EXT. THE BAR - DAY

Santa Claus (DOYLE) starts to ring his big Christmas bell,

above the singing. The bell is a signal to DETECTIVE SECOND

GRADE BUDDY RUSSO. At this moment RUSSO is in the clothes

of a hot dog vendor and is in fact working behind a hot dog

wagon. At the ringing of DOYLE's bell he takes off his

apron, leaves the wagon, and runs toward the bar.

DOYLE:

(as RUSSO passes him)

The guy in the brown coat.

INT. THE BAR - DAY

RUSSO enter the bar on the run. He stops and looks over the

room.

RUSSO'S POV

There are TWENTY or THIRTY MEN at the bar, at least TEN are

wearing brown coats! The TWO MEN involved in the deal see

RUSSO and start to run. One (THE BUYER) takes off out of

the back door. The other (THE PUSHER) jumps over the bar

and heads for the front entrance.

3.

EXT. THE BAR - DAY

THE PUSHER dashes out past Santa Claus (DOYLE). RUSSO

follows him and all three give chase.

EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY

THREE FIGURES running down a New York tenement alley, the

first in flight, the others in pursuit. We pick up the

incredible clutter of such an alley, mounts of rusting beer

cans, paper bags of garbage bulging and ripping open, old

bed springs, burned out mattresses, etc.

EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY

Close shot of BLACK PUSHER tripping on the tangle of trash

going up against the wall in his stumble, face toward the

camera, and the figures of RUSSO and DOYLE leaping upon him

from off-camera. There is a blur or fast struggle as DOYLE

and RUSSO try to get his arms and put him against the wall.

BLACK PUSHER writhes loose and we close in on a knife in his

hand, plunging rapidly into RUSSO'S left forearm.

RUSSO:

Son of a b*tch!

The words are both warning and a grunt of pain. As RUSSO

takes the blade and utters the words, we simultaneously go

to DOYLE crouching and snatching his .38 out of the right

ankle holster.

EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY

Close shot of DOYLE and the BLACK PUSHER, DOYLE pistol-

whipping him into submission with three lightening chops of

the gun to the PUSHER'S head. DOYLE continues to beat the

man mercilessly into submission.

INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY

3-shot of BLACK PUSHER sitting between DOYLE and RUSSO.

DOYLE is at the wheel. BLACK PUSHER is sitting on his

hands, wrists manacled behind him, his head down and dripping

blood onto the jacket and the canary-yellow turtleneck. All

three are breathing hard.

DOYLE:

What's your name, a**hole?

BLACK PUSHER:

F*** you, Santa Claus!

DOYLE hits him across the face.

4.

RUSSO:

Your name is Willie Craven.

BLACK PUSHER doesn't look up.

DOYLE:

Who's your connection, Willie?

What's his name?

No response.

RUSSO:

Who killed the old Jew in the

laundromat?

BLACK PUSHER's brow furrows, looks up just a little.

BLACK PUSHER:

I don't...

DOYLE:

Ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?

BLACK PUSHER:

What?

DOYLE:

Did you ever pick your feet in

Poughkeepsie?

BLACK PUSHER:

I don't know what you're talkin'

about.

DOYLE:

Were you ever in Poughkeepsie?

BLACK PUSHER:

No... yeah...

DOYLE:

Did you ever sit on the edge of the

bed, take off your socks and stick

your fingers between your toes?

BLACK PUSHER:

Man, I'm clean.

DOYLE:

You made three sales to your

roaches back there. We had to

chase you through all this sh*t and

you tell me you're clean?

5.

RUSSO:

Who stuck up the laundromat?

DOYLE:

How about that time you were

picking your feet in Poughkeepsie?

The BLACK PUSHER'S eyes go to RUSSO in panic, looking for

relief from the pressure of the inquisition.

RUSSO:

(in pain)

You better give me the guy who got

the old Jew or you better give me

something or you're just a memory

in this town.

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