French Connection II. John Frankenheimer. 1975.
Superb sequel to William Freidkins classic thriller. Truth be told though I initially struggled with The French Connection. It is a film that I found myself nodding off to or giving up on the first few attempts. It takes attention and when I managed to watch it under the right circumstances it was a highly rewarding if bleak crime thriller.
Now John Frankenheimer's sequel is a rather different affair, immediately engaging, amusing almost, as Hackmans obsessive detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle becomes a fish out of water when his superiors send him to Marseille.
There he immediately butts heads with his French counterparts before setting off to do things his own way and from there on the film takes a disturbing turn with some scenes I personally found rather harrowing given the nature of addiction. Doyle isn't a particularly likeable character but I felt the investment in the character i managed to make in the first film makes this one all the more powerful and adds a lot of sympathy and depth to Hackman's brilliant performance.
All in all an excellent sequel to a classic original. The blu ray transfer from Fox is also exceptional. Recommended.
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