tiger jack 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.

merklekranz "French Connection 2" pales in comparison to "The French Connection". This movie comes across as a director's vanity piece. The story is weak, so Frankenheimer finds it necessary to stretch almost every scene. The first part is nothing more than trite examples of Hackman's challenge with the French language. The second part where he is forcibly hooked on heroin and then detoxes is way too long and boring. I mean an exchange about baseball players goes on and on forever. Even the finale, with the endless chase is anti-climatic, as two shots end this ten minutes of buildup and the credits roll. I say skip this director's self indulgence. - MERK

poe426 THE FRENCH CONNECTION was good enough to stand alone- and not just because it was a great movie, but because the Real Life "Charnier," a war hero who helped the Resistance against the Nazis in World War II, was never held accountable for his drug dealing(s) by the French government. He got away with it. End of story. But, Hollywood being Hollywood, there had to be a sequel to such a successful movie- thus, FRENCH CONNECTION II. Despite the inevitable ending- which undercuts the irony of the original film's ending-, there IS a long, drawn out sequence that makes the whole thing worthwhile: Doyle's addiction and "rehabilitation." Unfortunately, even THIS sequence isn't original in its conception: it's a rehash (if you will) of a similar scene in MURDER, MY SWEET, wherein the hero, Marlowe, is kidnapped and hooked on drugs. He, too, undergoes painful withdrawal- but, for my money, it was done better in MURDER, MY SWEET than in FRENCH CONNECTION II. Not a complete waste of time, but a far cry from the original.

The-Seeker Despite it's unique style and ultimately somewhat dour tone William Friedkin's The French Connection was a massive critical and commercial success in 1971 and almost single handedly ushered in the edgy filmmaking style that would permeate much of 70's mainstream cinema. The original's ending makes a point of being ambiguous and leaves everything unresolved. This is not a flaw but part of what makes it such a great film. Nevertheless success begets a sequel in Hollywood and it fell to John Frankenheimer to tell us what happened to Popeye Doyle after the somewhat disastrous ending of the first film. Any other typical sequel would have been merely a retread of the first with a different antagonist but the same familiar, comfortable setting like the numerous Dirty Harry sequels. This sequel however, bravely moves from grimy Brooklyn to picturesque, sunny Marseilles, home of 'Frog One' himself, Alain Charnier, again played by Fernando Rey. We pick up Doyle as he arrives in Marseilles to assist the French authorities in identifying and tracking down the elusive Charnier. Here begins one of the films main defining themes, that of Doyle as a fish out of water. Here Doyle's savvy streetwise Brooklyn knowledge is useless. He has no idea as to the particulars of French culture, no bearing as to where he is and most importantly no grasp whatsoever of the French language making something as simple as ordering a Bourbon in a bar a near impossibility. Doyle's rash action and inability to read the terrain leads to the murder of a police informant much to the chagrin of police lieutenant Barthélemy, well played by Bernard Fresson. As Doyle bumbles around Marseilles looking for clues as to Charnier's activities he is spotted by the man himself and promptly abducted and in the film's second ace up the sleeve, is held captive and injected with Heroin. The film takes a dramatic turn and Hackman puts in an Oscar worthy performance with Doyle resembling the junkies he's spent most of his career chasing. After his release we see him forced to go cold turkey by Barthélemy and some of the extended takes of this harrowing ordeal are a veritable Tour De Force of acting. The Micky Mantle speech being particularly memorable. Whereas the first film had it's famous car/L-train chase the sequel climaxes with a foot chase through Marseilles the end result of which remains one of the greatest final shots (literally) that I've seen in a film. We really feel Doyle's desperation and Heroin induced fatigue but he simply will not give up even if it kills him. It may not have the fresh grittiness of the original but it earns points for its brave plot choices and Hackman's incredible performance. Easily one of the most underrated sequels ever, French Connection II gets my highest recommendation.