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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

THE SEVEN-UPS (1973)

Where Gene Hackman got the official FRENCH CONNECTION/’71 sequel in the misadvised FRENCH CONNECTION II/’75 (Popeye gets hooked/Popeye gets clean), partner Roy Scheider made do with this unofficial follow up from CONNECTION producer Philip D’Antoni in a misadvised one-shot as writer/director. Another gritty NYC cop drama, Schneider leads an elite gang of rule-breaking detectives working a series of mob kidnapings. Not by the mob; of the mob. Most likely suspects? Schneider & Co. Yikes! A vanity project for D’Antoni who shows little control over self-indulgent acting (Scheider plays a couple of scenes sucking on a jawbreaker) or bad dubbing, while letting confusing plot structure and corny wiseguy dialogue pass. Presumably, what sold this was the big copy-cat car chase, designed to outdo ones D’Antoni oversaw as producer in CONNECTION and before that BULLITT/’68. It’s the best thing in the pic, but hardly matters; impressive but pointless. D’Antoni never wrote, directed or produced another feature.

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Stick with THE FRENCH CONNECTION.

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