Not only did it top our list of the best Gene Hackman movies, but neo-noir thriller "The French Connection" also found its way onto our rankings of the best detective movies and best suspense movies.

What makes it impressive to me is that they didn't fall into the classic trap of period pieces. Most street scenes in most period pieces populate the roads and parking lots with cool cars of that era.

1970s neo-noir thrillers always carried a jagged edge. The genre had shifted from shadowy backlot black-and-white mysteries to gritty, on-location films drenched in the sleaze and decay of America’s ...