French Connection II (1975)

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

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Alexander Jacobs (screenplay), Robert Dillon (screenplay)

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Bernard Fresson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 (as Jean - Pierre Castaldi)
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	'The Old Lady' / 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)

Storyline

New York narcotics detective Popeye Doyle follows the trail of the French connection smuggling ring to France where he teams up with the gendarmes to hunt down the ringleader.

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Plot Keywords:

organized crime | drug traffic | detective | sequel to best picture winner | american abroad | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

21 May 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Contacto en Francia II

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Budget:

$4,340,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,484,444

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Whenever Fernando Rey is speaking French in the film, his voice is dubbed by a French actor.

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Goofs

During the first bar scene, Popeye Doyle's drink goes from a small shot to a nearly full glass and back again during his attempted conversation with the French bartender.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Jimmy 'Popey' Doyle: Charnier!
Jimmy 'Popey' Doyle: [shoots him]

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: MARSEILLES

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Connections

References Popeye the Sailor (1960)

User Reviews

Gritty Street-Wise Cop Action With Teeth

The French Connection and its sequel are the Grandfather to such classics as To Live and Die in L.A., Copland, and Narc, and the anti-thesis of all of those 80's flops either far too "Hollywood" or far too "by the book". Hackman is still the "knock down, drag out", shoot first ask later 2-fisted narc that doesn't know what Miranda means that he was in part I, but with a change of scenery that takes him across the pond. 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. The 70's rarely pulled punches when it came to top billed cop movies, starting with Dirty Harry, the original French Connection and then snowballing into classics like Serpico. The French Connection II is no exception. This movie won't disappoint any fan of either the original, or anyone that wanted to see for themselves Gene Hackman carrying a lead action role almost through the screen.