In Marseilles, France, a drug kingpin is readying a $32 million shipment of heroin to be sent to the United States. Meanwhile, in New York City, narcotics detectives Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner, Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Ray Scheider) are investigating a potential drug ring when they are tipped off about the heroin shipment from France. The plot is based on a real-life drug ring from the 1960s and '70s that smuggled heroin between France and the U.S. The thriller, which features one of the greatest car chases in film, swept the 1972 Academy Awards, winning for best film, best actor, best director, best adapted screenplay and best editing.