WHAT'S THE CONNECTION?

THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
dir: William Friedkin

MAD # 152, July 1972
w: Dick DeBartolo
a: Mort Drucker

Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) are working an undercover sting operation in Brooklyn.

Popeye roughs up a criminal and confuses him with non-sequiturs.

Yes, he's racist but that's only because the character in the movie is.

While Popeye and Buddy are out, they overhear there's a big drug deal happening and decide to tail the suspects. Popeye figures out they're using the candy store as a money-laundering front owned by Sal (Tony LoBianco) and Angie Boca (Arlene Farber).

Henri Devereaux (Frederic de Pasquale) is a French TV personality who has come to America unaware that he is smuggling heroin in the auto he's brought with him. Drug kingpin Alain Charnier a/k/a Frog One (Fernando Rey), the man who arranged the whole deal, wants his heroin but is advised by Sol Weinstock (Harold Gary), he and the Bocas' lawyer, to keep in on the downlow while they're being watched. Popeye and Buddy are still going after the low-level dealers in the Brooklyn neighborhood.

Lt. Simonson (Eddie Egan) is hesitant to let the two of them continue with the case because of a previous record of bad hunches and gets a warrant to wiretap the suspects.

Nicoli a/k/a Frog Two (Marcel Bozzuffi), one of Charmier's associates, attempts to assassinate Doyle and then runs onto a subway. Popeye jumps into a car to outrun the subway and catch Nicoli getting off, in a massive chase scene putting other drivers and pedestrians in danger, and often compared to the long car chase in Bullitt, which is alluded to here.

UPDATE 2:

THE FRENCH COMMOTION
Cracked #102, August 1972
a: John Severin

Cracked also did the sequel, which we'll look at tomorrow.