French Connection II (1975)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Alexander Jacobs (screenplay) and
Robert Dillon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 May 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

THE FRENCH CONNECTION was only the beginning-THIS is the climax

Plot:

"Popeye" Doyle travels to Marsailles to find Alain Charnier, the drug smuggler that eluded him in New York.

Plot Keywords:

Narcotics | Detective | Jail Cell | Drug Trafficking | Spoon

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Doyle
Fernando Rey	...	Alain Charnier
Bernard Fresson	...	Barthélémy
Philippe Léotard	...	Jacques (as Philippe Leotard)
Ed Lauter	...	General Brian
Charles Millot	...	Miletto
Jean-Pierre Castaldi	...	Raoul
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	The Old Lady
Samantha Llorens	...	Denise
André Penvern	...	Bartender
Reine Prat	...	Young Girl on the Beach
Raoul Delfosse	...	Dutch Captain
Ham-Chau Luong	...	Japanese Captain (as Ham Chau Luong)
Jacques Dynam	...	Inspector Genevoix
Malek Kateb	...	Algerian Chief (as Malek Eddine)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:18 (video rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Brazil:16 | Canada:18A (video rating) | Finland:K-16 (1988) (video rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The heroin processing lab was built by the Corsican mafia, and was so realistic that the entire set had to be guarded by French police when it wasn't in being used by the film crew. The mafia also advised on the methods used by drug smugglers to get heroin in the US (concealing the drug in freighter weights) and, according to John Frankenheimer, organized the permits for the traffic jam during the chase at the end of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning of the movie, when Doyle arrives with his suitcases at the dock, a girl in a flowered dress and a boy in a yellow shirt run past him towards his right-hand side. In the next shot, when we see Doyle from the front, the same girl and boy are climbing up on a fence on his left-hand side.

Quotes:

Alain Charnier: [the two are duck hunting] We should decide the matter of the rendezvous, a place to meet after you have made the delivery.
Brigidier General William Brian, Charnier's Accomplice: How's New York?
Alain Charnier: [laughs slightly] You know better than that, William.New York is hazardous to your health, at least to MY health.But it is an amusing city.
[shouts a command in French]
Brigidier General William Brian, Charnier's Accomplice: How did you do it,if it's not a secret?
Alain Charnier: Oh, it was very simple and very droll.83 policemen wanted to talk to me,and 52 of them chose to talk to my money instead.I love a city where you always know where you stand.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pale Blue Balloons (2008)

Brilliant.

I actually saw this one before seeing the first. Now that I've seen both several times, I must admit that rarely have I seen a better follow up. Gene Hackman is brilliant in this cat and mouse chase in the french town of Marseilles. Especially his acting in the cold turkey scenes are just amazing. It's a sad fact that they don't do these types of movies anymore. Today it's all about overloading your senses, thinking that more is always better. This is a masterpiece in sparingly used soundeffects, music and cinematography. If you've seen the first one, make sure to see this one. At all cost.