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(More customer reviews)This film by maverick filmmaker Shirley Clarke (THE COOL WORLD) gets its power by its sheer simplicity. A group of jazz musicians await their drug "connection" inside a seedy New York City apartment while being filmed for a documentary. Set entirely in one room of the apartment, THE CONNECTION effectively creates a very claustrophobic feel. The viewer feels like someone awkwardly eavesdropping on the lives of people on the fringes of society.
THE CONNECTION features many fine performances. Carl Lee (THE COOL WORLD) plays one of the few aggressive black men seen on screen during the early 1960's. He plays Cowboy, the "Connection" indicated by the title. He also has one of the film's best lines with: "Man, I believe anything that's illegal is illegal because it makes more money for more people that way."
Roscoe Lee Browne (narrator of BABE: PIG IN THE CITY) makes his feature film debut in the role of J. J. Burden, the documentary cinematographer who also provides narration for the film. Warren Finnerty (EASY RIDER) gives a hyper performance as "Leach," the "host" of the gathering. Watching him, you'll swear that current indie favorite, Steve Buscemi (FARGO) is a reincarnation of him. Finnerty won an Obie award for his performance in the play.
In its own way, THE CONNECTION rivals the recent commercial and critical favorite TRAFFIC in how it forces the viewer to examine his or her attitudes about illegal drug use. More importantly, it does this without the latter film's use of visual gimmickry or tricks. As an added bonus, check out Freddie Redd's jazz score. He performs it on camera along with Jackie McLean (sax), Larry Richie (drums) and Michael Mattos (bass). If you're looking for something gritty and raw in sharp contrast to 1960's Hollywood, you need to look no further.
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