The first of these was The French Connection on Oct. 7. Director William Friedkin returned to his roots as a documentary filmmaker to explore the dark side of policing and violence. On the surface, it’s a stripped-down story about a pair of New York City cops trying to bust a heroin-smuggling ring. Underneath, The French Connection brought to a head a trend of filmmakers growing fed up with the idea that their crime films had to have clearly delineated good guys and bad guys, ending on happy notes.