Directed by:
John FrankenheimerCinematography:
Claude RenoirComposer:
Don EllisCast:
Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Bernard Fresson, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Charles Millot, Philippe Léotard, Ed Lauter, Patrick Bouchitey, Hal Needham, Jacques Dynam (more)Plots(1)
Gene Hackman stars as hard-boiled New York narcotics cop Popeye Doyle in the sequel to the FRENCH CONNECTION. Still on the trail of heroin kingpin Charnier (Fernando Rey), whom he's dubbed Frog One, Doyle heads for Marseilles. On arrival, his aggressive ugly-American persona alienates French inspector Barthelmy (Bernard Fresson), and his limited ability to speak French doesn't help. Frustrated by Barthelmy's lack of progress, he slips his assigned police protection and goes looking for Frog One on his own. He's soon captured by Charnier's minions, who lock him in a fleabag hotel and shoot him up repeatedly with free samples of their product until Doyle is completely addicted. Charnier uses the detective's narcotized state to interrogate him and is surprised to find that he's virtually ignorant about his operation. The disdainful Charnier has him dumped in front of police headquarters, and Barthemy arranges for him to be put in isolation. Doyle undergoes the lengthy, grueling ordeal of quitting heroin cold turkey while his desperation to capture Charnier builds inside him. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (3)
Much weaker than the previous one. Still, the scene where Hackman kicks his drug habit is unforgettable. The rest is just average that you will soon forget.
()
At times, it seemed to me that the film simply lacked any pace, as if it was dragging on without any direction. Gene Hackman gives a great performance as if the whole film is about him and his character, not about solving a case whose outcome I didn't care much about. The first film didn't completely blow me away, but it's still significantly better compared to this one.
()
The sequel suffers a bit on a few levels. First, I missed the presence of Roy Scheider. He really had a good chemistry with Hackman, so this absence is a significant issue. The second problem is that the plot didn’t captivate me as much. Sure, watching Hackman struggle with heroin addiction and his long detox process had its moments (the guy is an acting beast!), but I missed the main storyline, which ended up taking a backseat. On the other hand, John Frankenheimer definitely didn’t drop the ball behind the camera. Although we didn’t have the thrilling car chase in retro cars this time, the naturalistic ending, where Popeye Doyle chases the main villain and struggles for breath, was quite gripping, I admit… Especially those first-person perspective shots… So, in reality, the second installment also benefited from unconventional camera work. And the ending was genuinely satisfying. For me, it’s a 6.5/10.
()
Ads