Every Best Picture Oscar Winner Ranked Worst To Best
33. The French Connection (1971)
Not only were the 1970s the best decade for movies, they were also the most daring for picking Best Picture winners, with each one being far grittier and edgier than the vast majority of films populating this list.
This trend started with 1971's The French Connection, William Friedkin's bracing thriller about cop Popeye Doyle and his attempts to bring down a drug cartel.
Bleak and violent, the action here is astounding, thanks in large part to its thrilling car chases, and the character work even more so. Gene Hackman has never been better as Popeye Doyle, a dedicated but deeply flawed detective with an axe to grind, and the film's story - simple as it may seem now - matches him scene-for-scene.