La French (The Connection) (La French)

Good evening. The settling of scores in center Marseilles goes on...

Drugs are behind these score settlings...

The "French Connection" has made Marseilles the world capital of heroin, swamping the streets of New York as well.

These toxic products affect mainly the young...

I need my shit back... --No. --I will die...

Of course you will die...

...you shoot heroin.

Cure me then! --You don't wanna be cured...

Who's your supplier? --Who cares!!

The mayor of Marseille is concerned about his town's reputation.

Drug is a plague which spreads death and violence. We'll get rid of it at any cost.

Sit down!

We intensified the investigations in order to give the police all the necessary means to get this cleaning process done.

Tell me who's your supplier.

Give me one "trick"! Give me one name!

Who gives a fuck! Look! Look here!

Look! Look at this!

You see, don't you? --I feel sick...

Just a little "trick"...

A little trick... for me.

We have to hold on, ma'am. --Thank you.

Bye, Lily. --Bye.

JUVENILE JUDGE

I've been waiting for an hour.

Sorry, I was in a hearing. --And coming to see the prosecutor is not a priority.

You're a really stubborn man, Pierre.

Well... I made my decision.

You're no longer a juvenile judge.

How come? --I'm appointing you judge of the organized crime.

It's a big promotion... --I understand but I can't abandon those kids...

That's exactly why I've chosen you.

Over there you can both fight drugs and help those kids.

How's a going?

So, you gonna save us some speed ticket now? --No, but now I can send you to jail if you don't pay them!

Easy with the sangrìa, Bernard!

The kittens!

Simon! A little Champagne? --Yea...

It's amazing how far you've gone, I'm so happy for you.

You can believe him... he even skipped the football game to be there.

Stop it, you're embarrassing me. --You enjoy being a little flattered.

How about putting 'em to bed? They'll sleep in class.

Friends! With whom we gonna clink glasses? With the new judge of organized crime!

Thank you very much.

Get some sleep or you'll be too tired tomorrow.

Narcotics, good morning.

Yes... don't hang up.

Morning, do you need something? --Commissioner Aimè-Blanc. --And you are...

Judge, pleasure to meet you. --Mine too.

Josè Alvarez, cadet of the squad.

I'm very sorry. --Follow me.

Sorry for the confusion, judges rarely come down here. --Their bad.

One of the old brigade, Cpt. Ange Mariette. --It's a pleasure, judge. --Pleasure's all mine.

Pierre Michel, the new judge for organized crime.

John Cusack, from DEA. He represents the United States.

I heard about you. --Good things, I hope. --Yes.

My country invested a lot of money to put a stop to French Connection.

Heroin is devastating the USA, you know.

Here as well, you know... but we gonna take care of that.

And in concrete, how do you plan to accomplish that?

You tell me. What do we have about the French?

Nothing.

Why is that? --It's a bit more complicated on the field than in your papers.

I'm listening.

You're not from here... I am. I know this town inch by inch.

I spent 6 years in Paris, in the Vice Squad.

After I was back, I felt more at home.

The French sets the rules... and it's a goddamn octopus.

They started by taking over all restaurants and bars...

Places where cash flows.

It's impossible to run a business without them proposing you an "association"...

..by which they mean "racket".

Once they own the place, they bring back the slot machines.

But Bingo is not the only game which amuses them.

They've put a "tax" on all the Casinos of the coast... using an old trick...

A fight breaks out, then another, then a third one...

Evidently, they're all setups...

Thugs keep starting fights until the manager becomes afraid. Then they offer some kind of protection...

...and nobody dares saying "no".

Then, at night, there's drinks and hookers. They run the distribution of alcohol, so that not even a dime slips through them.

The French has got plenty of money.

They reinvest this load of cash in an even more juicy business... the one that turns snow into gold.

They get tons of morphine-base from Turkey.

If we don't catch it in flight, it's gone.

They keep it for weeks into clandestine labs.

Nobody knows where these labs are.

Their stuff is getting more and more strong... they have magicians as chemists.

The heroin is true carnage, 98% pure.

Hundreds of kilos leave for America.

Logistically speaking, they have nothing to learn. I never saw such organized people.

An import-export enterprise to make Danone blush.

Those who interfere, all end up the same way...

On the shelf of the unsolved business.

"Mob rules" have never been this violent.

Everybody knows who runs the organization, who controls the traffic...

But who's crazy enough to say his name? There's nothing on him... nothing.

Not a word... not a witness... nothing to give us a lead.

The true power of an untouchable is the silence he imposes on everyone else.

Your Vittel is already on the table, Mr. Zampa. --Thank you.

Gentlemen... --Hi, Tany.

Tell me the numbers, not the names. --9, 16 and 15.

What about the Corsicans? --It's OK with them. --Perfect.

The Americans want 100 kilos.

I put the cash for the half, there leaves 7 kilos for each one.

7 kilos is... --140,000 francs each.

That would make... --1,250,000 for each one.

That's Ok for me.

For me too. --If it doesn't bother anyone, I'm in for the double.

The double?

I got plenty of cash around, I'm not gonna leave it in some bank. --You should.

Listen... we'll see... --It's your decision.

Minassiàn, you take care of the courier... Robért, you find a lab. --No problem.

What about the new judge?

What new judge?

The new ones are always overzealous.

Don't worry, "Banker"... the judge won't make you no harm.

You worry too much. Are we done here?

Let's go, Franky.

Coming!

Shit!

Tany! How are you? --Are we interrupting?

Are you kiddin? It's a pleasure to see you. Hey , Franky!

Come in...

What a surprise...

What the hell does he want from me...

Peculiar in here... --It's not mine, it's my woman's house. --Dora?

You know her? --People talk, you know...

Who's the asshole who talks about me? --Stay calm...

The word is you pay the rent, but...

You don't have the right to live like this, do you?

It's not that I don't have the right... Dora likes her independence and I respect it.

You respect it...

Did you hear, Franky?

Respect. --That's good. --Yea...

What about me, then? Me.

Do you respect me?

Why do you say that, Tany?

Damn sure I respect you! --Didn't you have something to do for me?

The chemist?

I found the guy you're looking for, his name is Charles Peretti... he's the best.

In 3 weeks he can turn a ton of morphine-base into 100 kilos of pure heroin! Trust me!

When will I see him?

Soon... in fact I know his nephew, Fabrizio.

We had to meet 2 days ago but we couldn't manage... but don't worry, I'm on it.

No...

It's not gonna work for you this time.

Why you say that? --Is something troubling you? --No.

Is it love? --Well, yea I'm in love, but...

This isn't love. --That's nothing, Tany!

From time to time, you know...

It's good for fucking, that's all... you know Franky...

Just throw it... --Don't touch it.

Back in Naples... cause I'm from Naples, you know it, don't you?

You know it.

Back there we have a tradition, let's say a bit rude...

...but very effective.

Here, when a father sees his son drinking alcohol, what does he do?

Gives him a little wallop and that's all.

But back where I come from, that's not the way it works.

Back there...

...the father sits his son at the table...

...and takes out a big bottle of grappa...

...and makes him drink the whole thing.

Glass after glass after glass....

The son doesn't understand. He cries... he vomits his guts out...

And inevitably, short after...

...he passes out. Not for long... 5 or 6 hours.

I can assure you after that, the kid will never drink a drop again.

You see where I'm getting at here?

Cheers.

Not all of it...

Again.

More.

More! --Come on.

Just finish this.

I can't take it anymore! Stop it!

Go on!

You have one night to get hold of Peretti's nephew.

Then we'll forget the whole thing.

Yes?

Now?

Sir, sorry to bother you but a certain Lily Mariani wants to see you.

Let her in.

His name is Fabrizio Mandonado.

How long have you been seeing him? --6 months.

What happened to your eye?

He's got a new friend. An older one.

Yesterday Fabrizio wanted me to go with him... I refused to.

I'll handle that little shit. What's his name?

His name is Calazzi.

Is that Franck Calazzi?

Yes.

Why is Fabrizio hanging around with him? --Franck promised him a club of his own.

It's absolutely necessary that you get out from all of this, Lily. --I know but it's tough... you don't know how that is...

Yes, I know.

I knew someone with the same kind of problem. --Heroin?

No, it was gambling for him... but it's one bitch of a drug that too, you know?

He loved those moments when you can lose everything.

But he got out of it... and ended up living a good life after all.

Are you talking about yourself?

What's he doing here? --Waiting for you... he insisted.