William Friedkin's gritty police drama portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. An interesting contrast
is established between 'Popeye' Doyle| a short-tempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hard-working and dedicated police officer| and his nemesis Alain
Charnier| a suave and urbane gentleman who is nevertheless a criminal and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America. During the surveillance
and eventual bust| Friedkin provides one of the most gripping and memorable car chase sequences ever filmed.