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
Luang Ham Chau	...	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

When this film opened in Britain, some four months after its American opening, it was, most oddly, advertised, not as "French Connection II", but as "The French Connection, Number 2", and was referred to as such in several reviews (some of which even commented on the title change). However, British moviegoers who went to see the film discovered that the title was actually still "French Connection II", with Roman numerals and no definite article. It has always been referred to by its proper title when shown on television, as well in its video and DVD versions.

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Goofs

In the first bar scene, Popeye Doyle eats an egg that changes from partially eaten to whole again and back again while he tries to talk to the French girls.

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Quotes

Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: I'll tell you what I found out. I found out that you eat shit, you fucking frog, you! You goddamn scumbag, you!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: MARSEILLES

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Alternate Versions

For the first few showings of the film, it was approximately 8 minutes longer. 20th Century Fox took out a couple of scenes without director John Frankenheimer's consent. One scene involved Doyle and the girl who played beach volleyball. This footage has yet to be found, and was not included on the 2001 DVD release.

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Connections

Featured in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

User Reviews

Not a shadow on the first film

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. He travels to Marseilles in pursuit of 'Frog One' - Alain Charnier, who eluded him in the 1971 original. He encounters indifference from French coppers, language difficulties and forced drug addiction/withdrawl. More of a drama than an action film, although his final foot chase is gripping.

Roy Scheider is sorely missed. He can be excused though - he was making Jaws in '75! :-)

All round - a decent film but don't expect the same highs it's predecessor provided.