Admirable film.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) travels to Marseilles to find Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), the drug smuggler who eluded him in New York.Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two and a half out of four stars and said that "if Frankenheimer and his screenplay don't do justice to the character (of Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle), they at least do justice to the genre, and this is better than most of the many cop movies that followed." Is this the classic the original was? Of course not. But you have to give them credit for trying, and not just passing it off as a weak sequel. They kept Hackman, they brought in a big director like Frankenheimer. This was not something just to make a few bucks. And while it may not be the same level of "classic", it still has what most viewers want: some action, some chase scenes... and a devious subplot of a drug cop getting hooked on heroin!

The movie starts out fairly entertaining with Hackman playing a crude intelligent tactless Eastwood like New York cop encountering funny language barrier situations. All these movies from the era have a "James Bond flair" of an exaggerated macho super male protagonist.So much of it seemed to be filmed on a set (all the indoor scenes) kinds of cheapens and wrecks the fun of time travel--but there were a decent amount of outdoor live scenes still..Where I started to get bored was when Hackman goes cold turkey after being forced to take heroin for 2 weeks so the baddie Rey can get information from him. I actually started to fast forward through that endless part.The whole attitude towards drugs is a bit corny and laughable--but this was made in 1976 so you have to put up with that.I never fully understood the plot a far more serious flaw....at one point it is revealed the Hackman was sent there as bait--bait for whose benefit the French? They don't seem to want him there. Anyway that is confusing.As others state the action scenes go on too long....the dry dock...the chases....with sound effects added afterwards. Also I found the idea that after Rey knows everything is being watched he goes ahead and pays off the captain of the ship---having no clue it might be watched---that is just plain stupid writing.I agree Rey doesn't make a good bad guy....needs to instill fear--not.This movie cost $4.3 million and grossed $12.6 million so what do I know? Semi Recommend

As much as I enjoy THE FRENCH CONNECTION, I have to say that this sequel has the edge to it. Gone is the camaraderie between Hackman and Scheider to be replaced by a more character-driven movie that focuses on Hackman himself. For me, this is the movie that contains Hackman's best performance; his acting in the "cold turkey" scenes is simply fantastic creating some truly harrowing cinematic moments.Elsewhere, the fish-out-of-water storyline fits the thriller format well and brings plenty of awkward humour with it. John Frankenheimer is one of the most underrated thriller directors out there, I think, and he has a knack of shooting great-looking thrillers in France (check out RONIN for more evidence of this).In essence, the film is split into three separate sections. The first third is the semi-comic "stranger in a strange land" narrative; the second replaces this with an extraordinarily dark look at the world of drug addiction (the only darker film I can think of is REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) while the last third returns to the chase-oriented cop thriller of the original. And the action, when it comes, is exemplary, finishing with that master final shot. It truly is a great and underrated film.

Ah, yes, another 70's movie that loses its luster alongside Miami Vice and Bad Boys. What am I? A wise guy? Guess that's true.French Connection II is a lot different from The French Connection. It was neither a better or worse movie. It was different, and one reason is that Roy Scheider was not there. French Connection was set and filmed in the port town of Marseilles.Ben "Popeye" Doyle does not have a lot going for him, at the beginning and for most of the movie. He is greeted by a police chief(Bernard Fresson) who is dressing fish at a dock with a dozen or more of his men who are all doing the same. Barthelemy finds out he has been had, that what he is looking for among all the fish is not there, that it's an April Fool's joke. What Doyle finds out after a little cordiality is that Doyle is not wanted in Marseilles. Barthelemy points out to Popeye that a lot of men are lost in the shootout at Charnier's drop point in New York. Popeye is there in Marseille to get Charnier no matter what, even after the bloodbath back in New York. But Popeye's hands are tied---Barthelemy only allows Doyle to be an observer. Knowing Inspector Doyle's aggressiveness and furtive agreement with himself(and the devil if it means that), it's a foregone conclusion that Doyle will go after the heroin trafficker. If you know the other movie. Doyle is a loose cannon. But he is a smart cop, a good shot, and being in France does not faze him. After all, Ben Doyle is a New York cop.If any film proves Hackman's worth as an actor, his artistry as a performer comes shining through when Doyle is shot with heroin. The realism of a heroin user under the influence is evident as Hackman falls deeply under the drug's spell. He is like a person who has had a lot..He has no strength, he has no desire really, to get up off the bed. How he comes to get the junk is something to find out elsewhere ..I like finding out first hand.Later, when Hackman is coming off the stuff, there is a little comedy as Hackman talks to the chief. The detective's withdrawals are authentic, as is his derision toward the police chief. But soon Popeye Doyle is back on the case, fit as ever, and with the blessings of Barhtelemy --but not entirely.A tight film, with some nice sights on the way. And no violins in the background. Popeye does not miss out on the femmes. He doesn't not miss much, period.