Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Bernard Fresson

Gene Hackman stars as hard-boiled New York narcotics cop Popeye Doyle in the sequel to the Oscar-winning FRENCH CONNECTION. Still on the trail of heroin kingpin Charnier (Fernando Rey), whom he's dubb...( read more  read more... )ed Frog One, Doyle heads for Marseilles. On arrival, his aggressive ugly-American persona alienates French inspector Barthelmy (Bernard Fresson), and his limited ability to speak French doesn't help. Frustrated by Barthelmy's lack of progress, he slips his assigned police protection and goes looking for Frog One on his own. He's soon captured by Charnier's minions, who lock him in a fleabag hotel and shoot him up repeatedly with free samples of their product until Doyle is completely addicted. Charnier uses the detective's narcotized state to interrogate him and is surprised to find that he's virtually ignorant about his operation. The disdainful Charnier has him dumped in front of police headquarters, and Barthemy arranges for him to be put in isolation. Doyle undergoes the lengthy, grueling ordeal of quitting heroin cold turkey while his desperation to capture Charnier builds inside him. Hackman's brilliant performance highlights this somewhat overlooked sequel; Claude Renoir's camera fully captures the squalor of the milieu, and Frankenheimer engineers a harrowing final chase.

Flixster Users

63% liked it

1,596 ratings

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: John Frankenheimer, Robert L. Rosen

Release Date: May 21, 1975

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: September 25, 2001

Get It:

Stats: 257 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (257)


  • August 20, 2009
    as entertaining as the first. more running around after people for long amounts of time with a cold turkey scene added in for fun. however i could probably watch it over and over again, just like the 1st
  • June 28, 2007
    Incredibly grim sequel to one of the best hard-boiled cop movies of the 70s, Popeye Doyle blusters into France to find himself out of his depth and completely ineffectual in this strange land. Add to this the humiliation of being kidnapped and completely broken by the bad guy who...( read more) deliberately hooks him on heroin, and a wrath-filled vengeance is assured. Sometimes difficult to watch, but a powerful sequel.
  • November 3, 2006
    Obviously not as good as the original, but better than a lot of sequels. The detox scene was great if nothing else.
  • March 9, 2006
    Gene Hackman provides a fantastic performance this more subdued sequel.
  • March 4, 2008
    No where near as good as the original.
  • October 24, 2009
    Slightly faster paced than the original, with a little more action, and set in Marseilles, this sequel is not only easier on the eyes, it is also easier to sit through without suffering from tedium. In my opinion, the acting in this movie was even better than the first.
  • July 22, 2009
    nearly as good as the first movie. also, hackman detoxing from heroin is amazing to watch
  • June 4, 2009
    thriller cool a real story
  • April 25, 2009
    Doesn't hold up to the prequel, but a must see in the world of movies!
  • March 19, 2009
    Ultimately, a very disappointing follow up to the cracking original. Thankfully Hackman is on top form as usual, it's just a shame that the rest of the film is not up to his standards.

    The main difference is that this film is a by the numbers thriller and nothing more. The opp...( read more)ortunity to expand upon the first film is ditched in an attempt to make this more of a revenge saga which just doesn't work.

    Admittedly it makes some pretty brave choices with the forced addiction sequences but the rest of the film just doesn't flow and the adviserial relationship he builds up with the French cops is laughable and cliched.

    An interesting but very flawed film.

Critic Reviews


No recent reviews.

Comments


  • boyd8
    January 3, 2007
    seen this film umpteen times & it's as bril as the first time ! Gene hackman @ his best as usual ! = ++++++++++++

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The French Connection
    The French Connection (90%)
  • Un homme est mort (A Man Is Dead), (Funerale a Los Angeles) (The Outside Man)
    Un homme est mort (A Man Is Dead), (Funerale ... (0%)
  • The Bourne Supremacy
    The Bourne Supremacy (100%)

Theater Showtimes & TV Listings


Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for The French Connection II. Want to create one?

Video Clips


No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?