French Connection II

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Movie
German title French Connection II
Original title French Connection II
Country of production United States
original language English , French
Publishing year 1975
length 119 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director John Frankenheimer
script Robert Dillon ,
Laurie Dillon ,
Alexander Jacobs
production Robert L. Rosen
music Don Ellis
camera Claude Renoir
cut Tom Rolf
occupation
chronology

←  Predecessor
hot spot Brooklyn

French Connection II is a 1975 by John Frankenheimer turned film and the continuation of the action thriller focus Brooklyn from 1971. Gene Hackman plays as well in the first part of the New York police officer Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle.

In contrast to Brennpunkt Brooklyn , which is based on a true story, the script for French Connection II is purely fictional and focuses even more than its predecessor on the character Doyle.

action

The plot follows on from the escape of drug lord Alain Charnier from New York and describes how Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle continues the pursuit to Marseille . Doyle is said to be working there with the French police officer Henri Barthélémy and his colleagues, with whom, however, he gets some disagreements and problems. Doyle, who hardly speaks a word of the local language and even less knows the conditions in the city, is generally very conspicuous and Charnier soon knows of his presence in the city.

Popeye - who is shadowed by two police officers for several days - shakes them off, but is immediately kidnapped by Charnier's henchmen and held captive in an abandoned hotel for three weeks. Charnier finally releases Doyle, because he has nothing against him and, moreover, Charnier has made Doyle addicted to drugs using heroin and thus implausible.

In addition, heroin addiction would actually lead to exclusion from the police service; however, Barthélémy does not report this fact and instead carries out a "cold drug withdrawal" on Doyle. He came to the conclusion that from the beginning he was only used as a decoy, with whose help the French police wanted to lure Charnier out of the reserve.

Doyle sets out to find Charnier on his own again. He tracks down the hotel where he was held and sets it on fire. During this action he learns that Charnier's organization wants to deposit heroin at night in a ship that will be leaving in the next few days. Doyle and Barthélémy manage to track down the French drug lord; to do this, they use the ship's captain as a decoy.

After a lengthy chase, Doyle finally manages to shoot Charnier, who already believes he is safe on his yacht.

Reviews

“John Frankenheimer not only stages good action, but also gains additional appeal from the genre by emphasizing the mentality conflict between the Americans and the French. Unfortunately, in the last third, the film flattens into the usual crime thriller routine. "

- Lexicon of international film

“After the enormous success of French Connection (including five Oscars; German cinema title: Brennpunkt Brooklyn ), this sequel four years later was inevitable. Director John Frankenheimer ( Ronin ) shot again on the original locations and offers fast-paced action and car chases. The addiction sequences played by Hackman are emotionally haunting. Conclusion: Legendary: Hackman's fight against addiction. "

- Cinema

Awards

While its predecessor, Brennpunkt Brooklyn , received five Academy Awards at the 1972 Academy Awards, French Connection II was ignored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the major film critic associations of the United States. Leading actor Gene Hackman was nominated for the Golden Globe (Drama) and the British Film Awards in 1976 , but where he had to admit defeat to Jack Nicholson ( One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ) and Al Pacino ( Dog Days and The Godfather - Part II ). The script, by Robert Dillon , Laurie Dillon and Alexander Jacobs , was nominated for best drama film script at the Writers Guild of America Awards ceremony that same year .

literature

  • Alexander Jacobs: French connection II: screenplay . Script City, Hollywood 1986 (?)
  • French connection II . White Lion Publishers, London 1976, ISBN 0-7274-0146-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for French Connection II . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2008 (PDF; test number: 47 811 V / DVD).
  2. ^ French Connection II. In: Lexicon of international film . Film service , accessed February 6, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ↑ Cinema.de: film review