Movie Type: Police Detective Film, Action Thriller
Themes: Drug Trade, Americans Abroad
Main Cast: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Bernard Fresson, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Philippe Léotard, Ed Lauter
Release Year: 1975
Country: US
Run Time: 119 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This sequel to the Oscar-winning The French Connection picks up almost exactly where the earlier film leaves off. Still on the trail of drug kingpin Frog One (Fernando Rey), narcotics officer "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) leaves his Manhattan stomping grounds and heads for Marseilles. There, Popeye is captured by Frog One's minions, who pump him full of drugs in hopes of turning the cop into a hopeless junkie. After a grueling "cold turkey" treatment, Popeye is up and about and chasing after the villains, determined to mete out justice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Gene Hackman returns as hard-bitten New York cop Popeye Doyle, this time working with the resentful Marseilles police to nab the first film's heroin-dealing villain (Fernando Rey). There are some exciting moments, but the film seems to ramble unduly, especially in its long middle sequence featuring Popeye kicking a forced heroin habit. If you were a fan of the original's masterful car chase, be advised that the major chase scene in this film is done on foot, and the garbage-strewn streets of Marseilles don't quite compare for atmosphere to genuine New York grit. It's not a bad movie, and Hackman's performance is perhaps even better than his Oscar-winning turn in the original, but action fans may find it a bit too leisurely for its own good. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Cathleen Nesbitt - Old Lady; Raoul Delfosse - Dutch Captain; Pierre Collet - Old Pro; Jacques Dynam - Inspector Genevoix; Alexandre Fabre - Young Tail; Patrick Floersheim - Manfredi; Ham-Chau Luong - Japanese Captain; Charles Millot - Miletto; André Penvern - Bartender; Jean-Pierre Zola - Dumpy Policeman; Daniel Verite - 1st Guard Hotel Tangers
Credit
Georges Glon - Art Director, Gerard Viard - Art Director, Jacques Fonteray - Costume Designer, Lucie Lichtig - Continuity, Bernard Stora - First Assistant Director, John Frankenheimer - Director, Tom Rolf - Editor, Don Ellis - Composer (Music Score), Monique Archambault - Makeup, Alex Archambault - Makeup, Jacques Saulnier - Production Designer, Claude Renoir - Cinematographer, Robert L. Rosen - Producer, Logan R. Frazee - Special Effects, Bernard Bats - Sound/Sound Designer, Theodore Soderberg - Sound/Sound Designer, Hal Needham - Stunts, Lauri Dillon - Screen Story, Robert Dillon - Screen Story, Alexander Jacobs - Screenwriter, Lauri Dillon - Screenwriter, Robert Dillon - Screenwriter
