French Connection II (1975)

One of the finest films ever made. Some say not as good as the first; some also say a good movie, but an unnecessary remake; I say it is even better than the first (that is saying A LOT) and completely necessary. The first 'The French Connection' was a classic of its time; completely deserving of its many awards; and masterfully directed demonstrating both the typical life of NYC Narcotics cops and the many losses which come with the war on drugs, ultimately questioning the utility of the war at all. It was much more 'story-telling' based and much slower than its sequel 'French Connection II.' In this movie, Gene Hackman excels even further, and the move shifts from an excellent telling of a non fiction story to a dark, gritty character study of our anti hero 'Popeye.' In a sense, the sequel is necessary because it completes the character development of Popeye and it shows how much he is willing to lose in his desperate pursuit of Charnier. The fiction element of the sequel allowed for the opportunity to make it conclude in style and the movie was otherwise well balanced as either entertaining or difficult to watch at times due to its graphic depiction of drug use, which is a balance very difficult to strike effectively. The chemistry between Popeye and the French detective was wonderful. The acting is super superb. The movie is essentially flawless, and it adds so much to the first movie by the very nature of engaging in an in depth study of Popeye. It is one of the best crime dramas ever made, and it is disappointing to see that it has not received as much attention by awards critics or the public in general.Maybe it is too difficult to watch for some, or maybe it is too 'different' to its predecessor and it causes too much dismay. However, for me, it was completely unique, and executed with perfection, and could not have been a better fit to a fiction ending to a non fiction story! In my opinion, 'The French Connection' and 'French Connection II' together, as one, make for one of the most memorable Hollywoodised detective films of all time. No matter how much time passes or how old it gets, they will always be remembered as classics, each for their own reasons, for me.

"Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is sent to Marseilles to track down French drug-lord and smuggler Alain Charnier (Fernando Ray), in cooperation with the city narc squad, but he finds himself instead seemingly betrayed by the very law enforcement he represents! Sent out into the French public without understanding their language, and his unfamiliar lack of knowledge with his surroundings, it is easy to see Doyle was set up to fail or much worse die.I think the film benefits exponentially from Hackman's performance. This man lays everything he has out there for the character, including a harrowing, gut-wrenchingly unpleasant heroin-induced addiction by Ray and his cohorts and recovery once he is returned to the Marseilles police more than a little worse for wear. To say this is hard to watch is an understatement. One brave and emotionally vulnerable scene has Doyle combating withdrawal as Marseilles narc detective, Barthélémy (Bernard Fresson) feeds him cognac while he talks about Yankee baseball during fits of heroin yearning.Seeing Popeye not in his own turf is jarring, and he's vulnerable against the language barrier. Just trying to get scotch in a café is a chore, and if he wants to engage in flirtatious conversation with women it proves unsuccessful, not to mention, awkward. Like a volleyball babe who just shrugs him off primarily because she doesn't understand what he says. He is a bone of contention for the Marseilles police who feel obligated to babysit him while trying to keep him from roughhousing and aggressively pursuing suspects. When he is easily captured by Charnier, Doyle is reduced to an addict in the hopes of giving up what he knows about the drug operations. Not killing Doyle will prove to be his undoing.The chase at the end is obviously a standout, considering how physical and demanding it is for Hackman who must pursue a trollying Charnier on foot through streets and sidewalks, as well as, traffic (both vehicular and human). The raid of the ship that would be carrying Charnier's heroin, which almost leads to Doyle and Barthélémy being drowned by a purposed flood meant to kill them, is a throwback to the first film in that the main bad guy is almost caught but manages to slip away. The closing in on Charnier's secret meeting with a ship owner (carrying his drugs, of course!) as the Marseilles cops follow his minions throughout the city is another key sequence. Frankenheimer proves himself quite impressively with moving action as these two scenes attest. The in-your-face characterizations and willingness to go into the ugly could be a detriment for some who would have a hard time sitting through all of that. Still, I think it isn't afraid of the intimidating task of following such a revered and adulated 70s classic, and that could be applauded if the sequel has the guts to go its own way…Hackman certainly brings the acting chops required for the role made famous previously.

Unnecessary you could say. However film-maker John Frankenheimer's follow-up to William Friedkin's 70s classic "The French Connection" is a gripping, gritty and powerful crime thriller that fittingly complements its predecessor thanks largely to Gene Hackman and Fernando Ray reprising their larger-than-life roles. Where as the action took place in New York for the original, in the sequel it finds the hard-nosed New York detective Popeye Doyle in Marseilles on the trail of heroin French kingpin Alain Charnier who got away from Doyle's original New York bust. What occur are basic fish-out- water scenarios (lost in translation) during the opening stages for the foul-mouthed Doyle and he's even getting on the nerves of the local authorities he's working with (led by a prefect Bernard Fresson). But the story does go down a dark path when Doyle is kidnapped and forced into taking heroine in an attempt to find out what he knows. He becomes a junkie, where the local police find him and isolate him so he can go through cold-turkey withdrawals. Breaking the habit and learning the real truth why he was sent to Marseillies makes it real personal for Doyle, to the point of going beyond the law for payback. Here it becomes merciless and ugly. Watching the scenes involving the withdrawal is punishing even if it goes on for a little too long. What does it wonders is the barnstorming performance of Hackman, adding more personality and complexity to a signature grizzled character. Because he goes through a whole lot more. The story could have just repeated what had gone before it, but instead it's completely novel in its depiction of man's dangerous addiction to getting his man. The script is taut, but can be crude and enduring. Director Frankenheimer's intimate styling gets up and personal giving it a realistic edge and plenty of local colour with a real sense of detail for the seedy side of things. The camera-work has a kinetic-like touch, capturing the exhausting action with creative POV shots. When it came to the action and surveillance set-pieces, they're pulsating and biting (namely the foot-chases) in its suspense with moments of red paint being splashed about. Some scenes probably could be tighter, but it never loses interest or impact."French Connection II" is straight-up a raw, hard-hitting sequel with an appropriate sudden ending."Look at my hat"!

In this vastly underrated sequel (the first true Hollywood '2') Popeye travels to (more like discarded to) Marseilles after his crushing defeat at the end of the first film. The recovered heroin was stolen right out of the police evidence and made it to the street regardless, lining the pockets of Popeye's crooked colleagues. That's the price you pay for being honest.The French don't want him and make no attempts to hide their discourteousness as Popeye hits the streets, desperately looking for the elusive 'Frog 1'. His tough-guy schtick may have worked in the Big Apple but in France he's hopelessly incompetent and way out of his depth. Calling him a fish out of water is to put it lightly.Instead of being a carbon copy of the original, FCII takes a radical turn in the second act as Charnier captures Popeye and turns him into a junkie, the thing he hates even more than criminals. Near-death, and humiliated by Charnier even further, Popeye undergoes a harrowing withdrawal, going cold turkey in a French police cell while his partner looks after him (there ain't no gratitude though). Barely waiting two seconds to regain his strength, the hunt is back on to finally get revenge on Charnier.John Frankenheimer's take on the story is much slower and drama-orientated than the quick, raw energy of the first. Going deeper into Popeye Doyle's unstable, edgy personality makes it more of a character study and a bit of an epic when compared to what William Friedkin gave us.The ending may be as abrupt as the first, but it wastes no time in winding down the story. FCII might have the best, sudden climax of any movie ever made.Don't misjudge it as a 'same again' sequel, it's very different and is brave enough to take the character and story is a bold direction. Frankenheimer's career was full of underrated efforts, but FCII is the best of them.