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French Connection II is directed by John Frankenheimer
and produced by Robert L. Rosen. It is written by Laurie
Dillon, Robert Dillon, and Alexander Jacobs, and stars Gene
Hackman (The Conversation, Bonnie and Clyde, Superman series),
Fernando Rey, Bernard Fresson, Philippe Leotard, Ed Lauter
(The Longest Yard, Death Wish III, Revenge of the Nerds
II), and Charles Millot, and Jean-Pierre Castaldi. ***
French Connection II is the sequel to William Friedkin's
Best Picture-winning 1971 hit, The French Connection. Gene
Hackman once again stars as Popeye Doyle, the hard-headed
cop willing to do anything necessary to do the job - even
if it's less than desirable. Fernando Rey returns as Charnier,
the mastermind behind the French Connection operation that
Doyle set out to stop in the original film. ***
Unlike the original French Connection, which was a
semi-fictionalized account of factual events, the sequel
is entirely fictional and not based on any true events.
It picks up where the original left off - with Popeye Doyle
narrowly missing the opportunity to get his man. He sets
off for France on a hunt for Charnier - the mastermind who
got away. And, in true Popeye Doyle style - aims to get
his man no matter what it takes. ***
You can't follow up a film like the original French
Connection - William Friedkin's award-winning classic. For
years I didn't even know a sequel to that movie existed.
Needless to say, I approached John Frankenheimer's sequel
with skepticism. After all, it was a sequel, which are rarely
as good as the original, and it wasn't even based on true
events. So, enough idle talk. Is French Connection II a
good film? ***
Surprisingly, yes. Not the classic Friedkin's movie
was, but a damn good movie nonetheless. ***
Hackman and Rey reprise their respective roles just
as well as they played them the first time around. Gene
Hackman is one of the greatest American actors that has
ever lived, and Popeye Doyle ranks amongst his finest roles.
Is there anything this guy CAN'T play well? The supporting
cast fares nearly as well, though you're going to miss Roy
Scheider, who was the perfect balance to Doyle in the original.
Still, the supporting cast is great, and even includes an
often-forgotten performance by the underrated Ed Lauter.
One of the reasons this doesn't suffer from “sequel syndrome”
as heavy as some sequels is because of the quality of its
actors and performances. Enough said. ---
Image And Sound:
The movie gets a very good transfer for its first release
on Blu. All in all, I would say the film looks above average
as far as movies from the seventies on Blu-Ray go. I've
seen better-looking transfers of movies from this era, but
I've also seem some that look far worse. Overall, this belongs
in the upper group. The filming style used here is very
gritty and maintains the feel of Friedkin's film, to a point,
but also manages to have a feel all its own due to the exotic
locales. Grain is consistent throughout and never a problem.
The lossless audio track featured here is a bit unfocused,
though certainly far from bad. All in all, this underrated
gem of a film gets good treatment in high definition.
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| Special
Features: |
Unlike the first film, which got the two-disc treatment
for its Blu debut, the sequel is only one disc. But fear
not, there are still plenty of features. A commentary track
recorded a few years back is provided, most likely filmed
for an earlier DVD release of the film. It's a nice look
into the making of the movie from the crew's point of view.
Featurettes focusing on Hackman and Frankenheimer alike
appear as well, and while not the most in-depth features,
they're still worth checking out - particularly the Frankenheimer
piece. Also included is an isolated score track, something
any fan of movie scores will enjoy - as Don Ellis did such
a good job with the music on this film and the original.
A good handful of extras for a film I thought would get
the bare bones treatment.
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