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:

What happens when you're a N.Y. cop sent to France to bust a dope ring and... You can't speak French. The French cops hate you. Your own people have set you up... YOU EXPLODE!

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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

For the French version of the film, the character of Popeye was given a thick American accent in order to allow sequences where he encounters linguistic problems to make sense, not without occasional absurdities (for example, the main character has no trouble in arguing extensively and in an articulate way in French with local policemen but can't find a decent way to order a simple glass of whiskey).

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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: Listen, asshole, tell me the truth. I was set up, wasn't I?
[pause]
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: Whose idea was it?
Inspector Henri Barthelemy: What difference does it make?
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: They sent me over here to work with you. You put me on the street, so Charnier could blow me away. That's beautiful. Beautiful.
Inspector Henri Barthelemy: Why didn't you figure this out earlier?
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: Why didn't I think of it earlier? Cuz I'm a bigger asshole than you are.

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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 '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

Referenced in Scene of the Crime: A Tooth for a Tooth (1985)

User Reviews

Gritty sequel hangs in the balance of being slightly superior

In this riveting, darkly dramatic sequel, Popeye Doyle (Hackman in one of his most overlooked performances) travels to Marseilles to track the elusive Alain "Frog One" Charnier (Fernando Rey), whom he failed to catch in New York City. Doyle is met with a French detective (Bernard Fresson) who resents his rough approach to case-solving, and a language he can't understand to save his life. In an ugly twist, the rogue detective is kidnapped by Frog One's men and forced to take heroin in a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to find out all he knows about the French Connection case. Successfully humiliated by Charnier, Doyle is put in isolation by the French police and goes through a brutal process of cold-turkey withdrawals from heroin. By now, Popeye is determined to kill the goons who forced him to become an addict. A fresh plot and gritty, realistic direction by John Frankenheimer make "French Connection II" worthy enough to be compared in merit to the original, despite the absence of Roy Scheider as Hackman's partner. Dark and dramatic, further allows depth and insight to Hackman's Popeye Doyle.