French Connection 2 [Blu-ray]: Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Pierre Collet, Raoul Delfosse, Jacques Dynam, Alexandre Fabre, Patrick Floersheim, Bernard Fresson, Gene Hackman, Ed Lauter, Philippe Léotard, Ham-Chau Luong, Charles Millot, Cathleen Nesbitt, André Penvern, Fernando Rey, Jean-Pierre Zola, Daniel Verite, Claude Renoir, Don Ellis: Movies & TV

Mar26

French Connection 2 [Blu-ray]: Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Pierre Collet, Raoul Delfosse, Jacques Dynam, Alexandre Fabre, Patrick Floersheim, Bernard Fresson, Gene Hackman, Ed Lauter, Philippe Léotard, Ham-Chau Luong, Charles Millot, Cathleen Nesbitt, André Penvern, Fernando Rey, Jean-Pierre Zola, Daniel Verite, Claude Renoir, Don Ellis: Movies & TV

Posted by admin | on 26 March, 12:50 AM

Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 02/24/2009 Run time: 119 minutes Rating: R

The Best That Could Be Matched With the Original,

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

This review is from: French Connection 2 (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.

The definitive movie sequel. ,

By Kenneth J. Handley “book lover” (australia) - See all my reviews

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

That the sequel was made at all was no certainty although the original left an obvious opportunity to chart the conclusion to Doyles mission in bringing Frog One (Fernando Rey) to justice.
Hackman gives an even better acting performance in this effort if that were possible but lost out in the Oscar accolades probably due to his earlier success. This time he is on his own with no Cloudy to back him up and stuck with the sometimes dubious support of the French Police.The french acting in this movie is par excellance and perfectly cast which is saying something since this was essentially an American production. We see Fernando Rey carry on his good work from the original movie this time in a more familiar setting namely his home town Marseille. The casting of Rey in both part 1 and part 2 is almost as inspired as that of Hackman himself and also worthy of acting plaudits which sadly did not materialise.Connection part 2 is a worthy sequel to the earlier offering and although not factually correct it does give a believable ending to Doyles mission. Sequels, sadly, often do not stand up to the original production for a variety of reasons. This one is an exception for many reasons, the brilliant acting of Hackman and Rey coupled with casting and cinematography seldom equalled in a production of this type. The film going public were not disappointed in their wait for this effort. What they finally got to see will live long in the collective memories of dedicated filmlovers who cheris great acting along with a liberal dose of classic directing and casting. One cannot ask for much more.

Bring some water…a lot of water…,

By this-shere guy - See all my reviews

Stripped of his ability to communicate and his intimate knowledge of his surroundings (in NYC), and forced into a heroin addiction which he must shake and then recover from, Popeye Doyle is down to his bare essence as a man and man-hunter. He is NOT smart, he is NOT clever, he is NOT from Marseilles, he is outmatched in this chess game…all he is, is TOUGH and DETERMINED. He finds his way back from the weakness of addiction by forcing his body into action, he finds his way back to the Hotel D’Tanger by walking the streets relentlessly. He exacts his revenge on the very building. He finds Charnier, pushes his body past what it is capable of to pursue him. He will not stop until one of them is dead or in prison.

A further exploration of an obsessed mind belonging to a man of action. I liked it even better than the first.Search Amazon.com: French Connection 2 [Blu-ray]: Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Pierre Collet, Raoul Delfosse, Jacques Dynam, Alexandre Fabre, Patrick Floersheim, Bernard Fresson, Gene Hackman, Ed Lauter, Philippe Léotard, Ham-Chau Luong, Charles Millot, Cathleen Nesbitt, André Penvern, Fernando Rey, Jean-Pierre Zola, Daniel Verite, Claude Renoir, Don Ellis: Movies & TV from AmAzon

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