French Connection II

Plot synopsis:
Picking up two or three years after where the original left off, narcotics officer Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is still searching for elusive drug kingpin Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey). Orders from his superiors send Doyle to Marseille, France, to track down the criminal mastermind and bust his drug ring. Once in France, Doyle is met by Inspector Henri Barthélémy (Bernard Fresson), who resents his rude and crude crimefighting demeanor. Doyle then begins to find himself as a fish out of water in France, where he is matched with a language he cannot understand. Doyle is shown round the police station where he finds his desk is situated directly outside the toilets. He tells Barthélémy that he is not satisfied with this positioning and hopes it is not a joke at his expense. Barthélémy informs Doyle that he has read his personnel file and is aware of his reputation and especially hopes he has not brought a gun with him as it is strictly forbidden in France for visiting police officers from other countries to carry firearms.
Doyle continues to struggle with the language and tries to order drinks in a bar. He eventually makes himself understood, befriending a bartender while buying him drinks and they eventually stumble out of the bar together at closing time. Determined to find Charnier on his own, Popeye escapes from his French escorts. While Doyle watches a beach volleyball match, Charnier sees him from a restaurant below. Charnier sends his henchmen to follow Doyle through the town, where they capture him and take him to a hotel for interrogation.
For several weeks, Doyle is injected with heroin in effort to force him into capitulation. Scenes of his growing addiction follow, including one in which an elderly lady (Cathleen Nesbitt) visits him in his befuddled state. She talks to him, declaring herself to be English, and saying that her son is "just like" him, while stroking his arm. Initially she seems compassionate to his plight, but a change in the camera angle reveals her 'track' marks and that she is slowly removing his watch.
Barthélémy has sent police to search for Doyle and, as the raids close in on where Doyle is detained, he is dumped barely alive but addicted in front of police headquarters. Scenes of resuscitation and drug withdrawal follow. In his effort to save both Doyle's life and his reputation, Barthélémy immediately quarantines Doyle in the police cells and begins his cold turkey withdrawal from the heroin. Supervising his recovery, and at his side with both emotional support and taunts questioning his toughness, Barthélémy ensures Doyle completes the cycle of physical withdrawal. When he is well enough to be on his feet, Doyle starts back on the road to regaining his physical fitness. He searches Marseilles and, finding the hideout/drug warehouse he was brought to, he sets it on fire. He breaks into a room at the hotel and finds Charnier's henchmen, whom he interrogates as to the whereabouts of Charnier. Doyle is joined by Barthélémy and other inspectors who engage Charnier's henchmen in a gun battle in a dry dock, which results in water from multiple spillways pouring out. The henchmen and inspectors are killed but Doyle rescues Barthélémy. The following raid on Charnier and his henchmen is successful, but Charnier escapes. Doyle, in a foot chase of Charnier, who is sailing out of the harbor on his yacht, takes his gun out, calls Charnier's name, and finally shoots him dead.

Tags: neo noir

Review:
The movie concerns on Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman), an unorthodox New York narcotics cop investigating the flow of drug that follows the trail of the French connection .
He travels to Marsaille following the foreign connection and tries to track down the eluded evil Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) , the smuggling ring chief , who escaped from N.Y.C. There , he joins forces to the French gendarmes (Bernard Fresson and Jean Pierre Castaldi , among others) to hunt down the ringleader .
In the movie there is action , suspense , violence , intrigue and a little bit of humor in charge of Popeye Doyle , as he begins to find himself as a fish out of water in France and particularly on his relationships with the French people .
The motion picture has action-packed but in the intervening period when the starring ends up being abducted by Alain Charnier's henchmen , it results to be a little bit boring , with overlong scenes ; besides , quite disagreeable as Popeye is injected heroin .
The terrain has changed, but the raw unadulterated character acting of Hackman still makes it one hell of a roller coaster ride.Rife with dirty cops, drug smugglers, and French thugs, this movies direction and writing reminds instantly that it is part of the production catalyst that would later see series like The Shield have such success in prime time TV.
"French Connection II" focuses on 'Popeye' Doyle who takes revenge on the drug smuggler Alain Charnier, not in New York this time but Marseille, France.
Sure, 'Popeye' Doyle's character is strong enough to carry the entire movie but he just ain't the same without 'Cloudy' by his side.There are more than enough good moments that make up for these losses, the ending for example is really brilliant and I absolutely loved it!Once you've seen "The French Connection" this isn't really a must see but nevertheless, it's a very good movie and perfectly watchable.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
The sequel to the massive hit "French Connection" pales a bit in comparison to the original,but it also adds more depth to the story and Popeye Doyle as a character.Gene Hackman almost outdoes his Oscar-winning performance here as Popeye Doyle running loose in Marseille.The film is a bit uneven and exhausting,but the ultimate showdown is well crafted.The scenes when Doyle is on detox after getting injected with heroin add to the overall dramatic depth of the film,making the original look more action-oriented and systematic.Ergo does this movie come out as a sort of theatric depiction of Popeye Doyle and his pursuit for Charnier.The problem with this film is that its too long,but I guess that couldn't have been avoided when you are Frankenheimer.Hackman keeps his humour and treats us with a few classical Popeye lines,my favorite being:"You put me next to the shithouse!".8 out of 10..
In this riveting, darkly dramatic sequel, Popeye Doyle (Hackman in one of his most overlooked performances) travels to Marseilles to track the elusive Alain "Frog One" Charnier (Fernando Rey), whom he failed to catch in New York City.
A fresh plot and gritty, realistic direction by John Frankenheimer make "French Connection II" worthy enough to be compared in merit to the original, despite the absence of Roy Scheider as Hackman's partner.
In William Friedkin's original film, Gene Hackman played Popeye Doyle as a compulsive, single-minded narc, whose life Friedkin merely gave a little descriptive distinction in one scene, where Popeye is distracted from his consumption with menacing hoodlums when he, in his own expedient manner, picks up a girl who just as immediately disappears the following morning along with his thought of her.
That kind of character consolidates well with the brand of merciless, methodical, naturalistic film-making characteristic of Friedkin.Whatever Popeye was, he wasn't a buffoon, and that's what he comes disconcertingly close to seeming to be in French Connection II, John Frankenheimer's fictional addition to the initial true account.
The story, his hunt, are all dismissed during Hackman's solo routine.Marseille is a place it's patently clear no sane superior would ever send Popeye, no matter how relentless his urge would be to track down the one that got away, unless they wanted to get rid of him for good.
Whether or not Frankenheimer and his screenplay don't do right by the character, which is debatable, they definitely do right by the genre, and this is better than most of the many cop movies that followed The French Connection into release.
The dialogue is appalling and nothing like as authentic or compelling as the original film.The storyline is ridiculous, the portrayal of the French police laughable and the characterisation of Doyle a mile away from the first film.How many drug bosses do you think go down to the docks in person to see a shipment come in?
Gene Hackman is also brilliant with his acting in the cold turkey scenes among the best he has ever done, and while the ending is abrupt in a way due to its sharpness and thoughtfulness this abruptness works.
French Connection II takes the real characters of Popeye Doyle that Gene Hackman won a Best Actor Oscar for in the first French Connection movie and spins a whole new tale about Hackman's obsession with getting the man who eluded him in the first film.
Unfortunately for Hackman, this time he's fighting the battle on the other guy's home turf.Hackman's character of narcotics cop Popeye Doyle is still as vibrant as in the first film.
But what he and director John Frankenheimer got to work with was some bits cobbled together from Murder My Sweet and The Man With The Golden Arm, a couple of better films with the theme of narcotics addiction.The minute that Hackman's nemesis spots him on his home ground, Fernando Rey decides a little poetic justice bad guy style is what's in order.
When Hackman's dumped on the streets and found barely alive, the police work to both bring him around and to have him kick the stuff cold turkey like Frank Sinatra did in The Man With The Golden Arm. The withdrawal scenes are Hackman at his best, after that French Connection II slips into an ordinary police drama with nothing we haven't seen or heard before.
The French Connection II is a decent flick - the problem lies in the fact that the first film was so damn good that it was always going to be very hard to match, let alone beat.Gene Hackman reprises 'Popeye' Doyle.
The reliable John Frankenheimer takes the helm this time round and places a unique spin on the story, completely switching locations so that Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle is now tracking down Fernando Rey's heroine kingpin in his own home ground of Marseilles.
Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) travels to Marseilles to find Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), the drug smuggler who eluded him in New York.Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two and a half out of four stars and said that "if Frankenheimer and his screenplay don't do justice to the character (of Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle), they at least do justice to the genre, and this is better than most of the many cop movies that followed." Is this the classic the original was?
The problem with reviewing this film is that, a.) it's a sequel to a brilliant movie, which always makes watching it objectively difficult, and b.) it's directed by John Frankenhimer, one of the best American directors ever, so I wanted to like it.
William Friendkin was the perfect person to direct a film about drug traffic in decaying new York city, because of his documentary-like approach to the action and story, Frankenhimer on the other hand is one of the most stylish directors ever, i.e.
With uncompromising harshness Frankenheimer plunges into the black hole that comes with loss of self-control and self-respect, and it is stunning to witness Gene Hackman's performance as his Popeye Doyle is being forced into drug addiction himself.
"French Connection II" makes a huge mistake right away by taking Popeye Doyle out of his native New York and placing him in France.
Hackman Great, Script Not. In this sequel to the Best Picture Oscar winner, NYC cop Popeye Doyle goes to Marsailles in pursuit of the drug smuggler who eluded him in the first film.
French Connection was set and filmed in the port town of Marseilles.Ben "Popeye" Doyle does not have a lot going for him, at the beginning and for most of the movie.
The sequel offers a fictional extension of the original film's true events, and sees Detective Doyle following the trail of drug-lord Charnier (Fernando Rey) onto the unfamiliar and unsympathetic streets of Marseilles, France.
Detective Popeye Doyle (Hackman) is sent to France to resume his chase for the drugs baron Alain Charnier (Rey) The sequel to the Oscar winning smash brings back the electric Hackman as Popeye as he continues his search for Fernando Rey's criminal in another highly charged crime drama that is brimming with sizzling drama and passion that arguably betters the original in more ways than one.What made the first film special for me was the climax.
French Connection 2 (1975) is an Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller movie starring Gene Hackman aka Popeye Doyle, a New York narcotics detective.
Even though this film is far more darker, sinister & depressing in its subject matter I just couldn't really relate to it as being from the same stable as the original & superior French Connection some four years earlier.Hackman does a very good job as the harressed & vengeful cop, Popye Doyle.
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.
New York police detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle (Gene Hackman) arrives in Marseilles, France to track down drug kingpin Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey).
Doyle and his inseparable hat are back once again on the run to get Charnier (Fernando Rey), known as Frog One, the smart criminal who ran away from him in the film directed in 1971.This time the hunt will take place in Marseille instead of New York and he's no longer with his cool partner Russo but instead of all that he's stuck with the bureaucracy of the French police, following lots of procedures that won't allow his tough reprehension of bad guys, beatings and the famous 'Have you ever picked your feet on Poughkeepsie!'.Gene Hackman brings back the character in all of his glory, his mannerisms, his unusual humor and some innovations brought by the screenplay, things that might upset viewers from the classical first episode.
So, this is how complicated Popeye's mission is."French Connection II" is a little disappointment if compared to the Oscar winning film directed by William Friedkin.
In this sequel to the crime drama masterpiece "The French Connection" we see the character of Popeye Doyle played wonderfully by Gene Hackman travel to France in order to capture the drug smuggler who tormented him in the original film.
The film is not as good as the original but it still packs a lot of fun and interesting sequences that expand the non-fictional Popeye Doyle into a real character.3(***)out of 4(****)stars.
I just sat through French Connection II as a midday movie (uncut), and my God, it was absolutely terrible.There is practically no story going on; just endless scenes of Gene walking around the streets of France (at least he got a free holiday out of it) and occasional interactions with some obnoxious French citizens.Then in the middle of the movie, we get an extended (and I mean, really long and boring) sequence with "Popeye" getting forced into a junk addiction, and following that, another really loooong sequence of his recovery (it never seems to end).Just when I was about to change channels and end my suffering, some action happens towards the end, and then there is probably the crappiest ending I've seen in a film in a long time.An awful movie, and a horrible "movie" experience.
John Frankenheimer (who directed in France again recently for Ronin) makes full use of the 'innocent abroad' line to provide a paradox between the worldly wise New York narcotics cop Doyle of the first film and the one we see here, battling not only the language barrier but the natural suspicion and unease of the Marseille drug squad.Although more languidly paced than its bigger brother, French Connection II has some inspired action sequences, such as the shoot-out at the docks.
Mixed with scenes that are almost painful to watch, as Doyle is made to go cold turkey after being turned into an addict at the hands of captors, we see there is more to Doyle than the hard man image portrayed in New York.Of course Gene Hackman puts in a great performance, but there is nothing unusual about that!Make sure you watch Popeye Doyle's big apple exploits before viewing this superior sequel, to fully appreciate his motivations..
Directed by John Frankenheimer, this is a sequal to the original New York narcotics detective Popeye Doyle, played by Gene Hackman.
Its sequel, therefore, was wholly unnecessary and only served two functions: to further humanise Popeye Doyle and to punish Charnier for escaping at the end of the first film.This film was about a half hour too long (the first movie clipped along at a good pace) and dragged in certain parts, most notably the withdrawal scene.
Admittedly a good film, with an excellent performance from Hackman, The French Connection II serves no narrative purpose other than to satiate an audience upset at the ending of the first movie..
The French Connection had one of the greatest auto chases in movie history, this film has a great foot chase where Hackman chases down Charnier in the very end of the film.
But in French Connection II, if you remember for one thing, it's not a chase scene, its an entire segment revolving around Popeye (Hackman, again) recovering from his heroin addiction that became forced upon him by heroin dealer himself Alain Charnier (Rey).I said the film was a three in one deal; that much is technically true.
So with the establishment of the film and the character complete with some hard boiled and entertaining scenes in which an inside man gets severely messed up; Doyle deals with two tails and also extensively bemoans his office locale, French Connection II is impressive.
This sequel to "The French Connection" of 1971 has the same hero, Popeye Doyle in pursuit of the drug lord who escaped at the end of the first film.
After the movie fans are treated to an action movie classic in The French Connection,a little known movie was made four years later this time only presenting Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in his travel to France in The French Connection II.Gene Hackman returns to portray his role of Popeye once again together with Fernando Rey,who portrays Alan Charnier,the drug kingpin that eluded Popeye in the first film.
John Frankenheimer directs the movie.The story picks up with Narcotics Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle still on the hunt for drug kingpin Alan Charnier,who is also known as Frog One,after he eluded him and his partner Buddy"Cloudy" Russo.On the trail for Frog One,Popeye goes to France by himself and leaves New York.He lands on Marseilles.But he gets captured by one of Frog One's henchmen and injects him full of drugs with the hope of turning him into a drug junkie and send him to jail.ButHenri Barthélémy asked the help of the police look for Popeye.After Barthélémy has located him,Popeye undergoes a so-called "cold turkey" treatment wherein the drugs injected from him was withdrawn.After his treatment, Popeye gets up to hunt down for Frog One until justice was meted out.No question that this film was solid and well- made.It was well- acted too especially Gene Hackman who portrayed Popeye very well.It remained as explosive and tension-filled as the first movie.The story was also interesting especially the experience of Popeye being injected with drugs and withdrawn from it afterwards.It was a good way the big difference between a person who is a junkie and that one who is free of drugs.But in spite of it all, Too bad the expectations were higher and it wasn't able to be as compelling as the original film.Too bad it precedes a classic film and suffers from being a sequel..
Besides, Scheider had already done a sort of "French Connection" sequel two years earlier with "The Seven-Ups." It was another New York-set cop movie and had several similar hair-raising car chases in it.
It's like a holiday home movie from hell as Hackman's character struggles with the language, the locals and looks lost and he wanders the labyrinthine streets in search of his quarry.Later on in the film, Charnier finds out that Doyle has followed him to France to continue the game of cat-and-mouse they started in New York.
As sequels go, it's one of the best recapturing the character of Doyle and style of Friedkin well.John Frankenheimer must have enjoyed shooting this movie in France, as he returned 23 years later to shoot a movie even more like the original "French Connection" with its kinetic car chases – "Ronin" with Robert De Niro in 1998.
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle (BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Gene Hackman) is in Marsailles trying to find Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), the drug dealer/smuggler, the villain who escaped at the end of the previous film.
Although most don't think the 2nd french connection is as good as the 1st, I think is almost equals it, VERY under-estimated film and I think one of Hackman's best acting.