Product Details

• Actors: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Bernard Fresson, Philippe Lotard, Ed Lauter
• Directors: John Frankenheimer
• Writers: Alexander Jacobs, Laurie Dillon, Pete Hamill, Robert Dillon
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001JNNDB0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,579 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "French Connection 2 [Blu-ray]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

FRENCH CONNECTION 2 - Blu-Ray Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best That Could Be Matched With the Original, February 24, 2003

By 

Bud (Seminole, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French Connection 2 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Considering the enigmatic ending of the Oscar-winning "The French Connection," a sequel seemed obligatory. But four years later, it's likely that no one was expecting the harrowing twist that came with the follow-up's plot.
This time directed by John Frankenheimer, gruff, foul-mouthed, brute narcotics officer Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) travels to Marseilles, determined to stop the elusive drug kingpin Alain "Frog One" Charnier (Fernando Rey), whom he failed to stop in New York City. Once in France, Popeye is met by Inspector Henri Barthelemi (Bernard Fresson), who resents the former's rude and crude crimefighting demeanor. Doyle finds himself as a fish out of water in France, where he is matched with a language he can't understand, eliminating one of his most useful weapons--his mouth. Determined to find Frog One on his own (and unaware he is being used by Barthelemi to lure Charnier into the open), Popeye escapes his French escorts. Now here comes the unexpected; in an ironic twist of fate, Doyle is kidnapped by Frog One's henchmen and forced to take heroin in an attempt to steal information from the narcotics agent. Left abused and humiliated by Charnier, Doyle is forced to go through a long, agonizing cold-turkey withdrawal from the heroin forced upon him. Now determined more than ever to stop his nemesis, we follow Popeye as "French Connection II" unfolds in a satisfying manner, like a crime drama should.
Filmed with a grainy cinematography, matching the mood of the story, this sequel is just as engaging as the original, while Hackman's performance--especially during the grizzly-to-view withdrawal sequences--is uncompromising and breathtaking, though no Oscar nomination went his way (though a Golden Globe nod did suffice). The script allows for surprisingly deep insight to the seeminly two-dimensional character of Popeye Doyle, while Frankenheimer's directing is tight and effectual. "French Connection II" is just as great as the original (though not as well-received), if not more intriguing, and in some aspects, much more harrowing and down-right gritty...a word always associated with the "French Connection" films.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome on Blu-ray! Underappreciated sequel but wonderful performance by Gene Hackman and quite enjoyable!, February 22, 2009

By 

Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: French Connection 2 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Entertaining, gritty and taking the character of "Popeye" Doyle to new lows. Excellent performance by Gene Hackman, it may not have the shocking action and the famous chase scene but on its own, "FRENCH CONNECTION II" is a good film and very entertaining.

Four years since the original "THE FRENCH CONNECTION", in 1975, the sequel would be released. Where the first film was based on real events on the lives of Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, the sequel is more fictional.

This time around, Doyle goes to France to go after Charnier. Being in a new country, Doyle is a fish out of water and knows that what he was used to New York, it's not going to fly in France, especially with the gendarmes.

But unbeknownst to him, after he's spotted by Charnier, Doyle is kidnapped and the hard-nosed cop that we saw in the first film will be fighting for his life and be broken down severely.

A riveting film, it may not be at the same caliber as the first but it's still a very entertaining film.

If there was one thing that "FRENCH CONNECTION II" was very fortunate to have and that was the return of Gene Hackman reprising his role as Doyle and most importantly having a talented director, John Frankenheimer known for his work in "The Manchurian Candidate" and many other films (a side note: Car chase scenes have a "FRENCH CONNECTION" tie-in with the producer of that film also producing "BULLIT" and Frankenheimer who worked on "FRENCH CONNECTION II" creating one of more popular modern car chase scenes in his film "RONIN" in 1998).

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The picture quality for "FRENCH CONNECTION II" is actually pretty good. Where "THE FRENCH CONNECTION" focused more on the grittiness of New York City with its shades of blues and use of blacks and director William Friedkin making sure that the Blu-ray disc showcases the film as he wanted, "FRENCH CONNECTION II" was filmed in France and featured the beauty of France with good sunlight and vibrant colors during the outdoor scenes. But also managing to capture the gritty and grimy areas of France.

Similar to the first film, there is a good amount of grain but with the film shot in Marseilles, France and a lot of sunshine and really interesting locations in France, considering how old this film is, overall it looked pretty good.

As for the audio, the audio is featured in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Similar to the first film, the film is dialogue-driven and also showcases the music of Don Ellis. Dialogue and music is quite clear and the film does feature more gunshots. But overall, the film is mainly dialogue and music driven.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"FRENCH CONNECTION II" comes with a good number of special features.

* A Conversation with Gene Hackman - Gene Hackman expresses his feelings of working on a sequel and also knowing that perhaps director Frankenheimer may not be so happy doing a sequel but nevertheless did a good job but also felt the film was underappreciated because of the success of the first film.
* Commentary by Gene Hackman and Producer Robert Rosen - This commentary features both men (not at the same time). You mostly hear Robert Rosen talk and his commentary is more on the challenges. Especially working with Frankenheimer who was not so thrilled of working on the sequel and Rosen reveals a lot. From the difficulty of getting Mickey Mantle to give permission to use the "Mickey Mantle sucks" line to how the scene in France with Doyle running around looking for Charnier. An informative commentary but quite a few dead air. Hackman chimes in at certain key parts of the commentary but it seems the two were together but I think that Hackman was recorded at a separate time.
* Commentary by Director John Frankenheimer - The original DVD release was back in 2001, Frankenheimer passed away in 2002. So, this commentary is actually quite treasured as its one of the few DVD's to feature commentary by Frankenheimer. For filmmakers, Frankenheimer's commentary was technical and thus you learn quite a bit about certain takes. Of course, he credits Gene Hackman making it easy for him. Overall, a well done commentary!
* Frankenheimer: In Focus - This lengthy featurette is actually pretty awesome. A celebration of Frankenheimer's career as a filmmaker and television director. You get to learn a lot about him through his wife, his daughter and those who have worked with him.
* Isolated Score Track (DTS MA) - For those who love Don Ellis's music in the film, you can strictly isolate the score if needed.
* Enhances for D-Box Motion Control Systems - For those who have D-Box Motion Control capability.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"FRENCH CONNECTION II" was a tough sequel for everyone involved to make and I can understand why director John Frankenheimer felt "intimidated" of taking on the role as director for the sequel (since he was a big fan of the first film) must have been on taking on the directorial responsibility.

Frankenheimer was a big fan of the first and what Friedkin was able to accomplish, so he tried his best to keep that in mind but most of all, because of his familiarity with France and the whole film taking place in France, the them of Doyle as a fish out of the water in a city where he can't be the way he wants and live the way he wants, definitely made the hard-nosed character vulnerable.

But you have to give a lot of credit to Gene Hackman. In the first film, "Popeye" Doyle was easily despicable but yet you rooted for him as he was going to take down the criminals his way and his style. But with this second film, there is a good amount of time dedicated on the breakdown of Doyle and making him a junkie and then having to go through major withdrawals as they try to make him well. Hackman did a wonderful job!

As for the Blu-ray disc release, it's great to have one of the final commentaries of one of the most talented director's of all time and it was a well-done commentary. The tribute to Frankenheimer with a special featurette on his career was another major plus that I was proud of.

Overall, "FRENCH CONNECTION II" was an enjoyable film. Although not following the lives of Egan and Grosso like the first film, I feel that a story on Doyle and seeing how he's broken down by the criminals but then seeing him re-emerge to exact revenge right back at them was great.

If there was one thing that I wished was done, that is subtitling on the French. Sure, it's not really needed but with a good ample of French being spoken, it would have been nice to see subtitles for that.

But overall, it was an enjoyable film and a pretty cool Blu-ray disc transfer with a good amount of special features .

Hopefully we may see the return of "Popeye" Doyle or a passing of a torch for a third film over three decades later.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated, unfairly-based sequel finally gets the Blu-Ray treatment, May 7, 2009

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: French Connection 2 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This review is for the Blu-Ray edition.

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.

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.

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.

An underrated sequel finally gets its dues in high definition. French Connection II isn't the classic its predecessor was, but it doesn't try to be, and perhaps most importantly, it doesn't have to be. It's a good film with its own merits. Any fan of crime drama, seventies cinema, Hackman, Frankenheimer, or the original movie should check this one out. Recommended.