French Connection II

"The French Connection was only the beginning. THIS IS THE CLIMAX."

1975 1h 59m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 492

ActionCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

"Popeye" Doyle travels to Marseilles to find Alain Charnier, the drug smuggler that eluded him in New York.

“The French Connection was only the beginning. THIS IS THE CLIMAX.”

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Cast

Gene Hackman
"Popeye" Doyle
Fernando Rey
Alain Charnier
Bernard Fresson
Henri Barthélémy
Philippe Léotard
Jacques
Ed Lauter
General William Brian
Charles Millot
Miletto
Jean-Pierre Castaldi
Raoul
Cathleen Nesbitt
The Old Lady

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Frankenheimer
Writers: Alexander Jacobs, Laurie Dillon, Robert Dillon
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

51 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "French Connection Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Claude Renoir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Don Ellis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom Rolf shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey and Bernard Fresson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Frankenheimer directs. Claude Renoir behind the camera. Don Ellis scores. Tom Rolf cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
251 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4Part of the "French Connection Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Claude Renoir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Don Ellis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Tom Rolf shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey and Bernard Fresson carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The French Connection was only the beginning. THIS IS THE CLIMAX.".
10IMDB entry: tt0073018 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "france", "heroin", "detective", "marseille, france".

The technical file

Cinematography: Claude Renoir
Original score: Don Ellis
Editing: Tom Rolf
Production design: Jacques Saulnier
Makeup / hair: Monique Archambault
Sound: Theodore Soderberg
Stunt coordinator: Hal Needham
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Status: Released
Budget: $4,300,000
Box office: $12,500,000
Return: 291% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: French Connection II (1975)

Part of

French Connection Collection

"The French Connection" is based on Robin Moore's 1969 book of the same name. Both films tell the story of NYPD detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, in pursuit of french heroin smugglers.

Also by

John Frankenheimer

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Potential Kermode2017-02-16
★ 10/10
Better than the first! This action packed sequel moves like a runaway train! William Friedkin's film was excellent - yet contained too many scenes of people sitting in cars watching other people go in and out of buildings - the stakeout scenes bring the film to a halt. The scenes were integral, yes, but they are a damn drag to sit through. Frankenheimer's French Connection II is a superbly acted and taut thriller that contains a substantial amount of humour too! The perfect movie. Hackman's finest performance can be found here and his harrowing withdrawal from heroin is a wonder to behold. Yes, this is an action packed masterpiece and I thoroughly recommend it to fans of gritty 70's cinema.
CinemaSerf2024-11-19
★ 6/10
This was never going to be as good as the first film, but as sequels go - especially in the 1970s - this isn't half bad. Gene Hackman's "Popeye Doyle" is doped up full of heroin, and abandoned to the streets. Luckily he is discovered and after some cold turkey, sets about getting back onto the trail of "Charnier" (Fernando Rey) in Marseille. It is here he must work with the French authorities - as suspicious of him, as he is of them - to effect a catch! Marseille is always a great venue for films like this - it has an earthily cosmopolitan seediness that really lends well to this kind of drama. Certainly, this plot lacks the intensity of the 1971 original, and "Doyle" frequently comes across here as a bit of an arrogant American ass, but the pace is still pretty good, and there is plenty of action to keep it lively for a couple of hours with car chases and shoot-outs a-plenty.