It is no surprise there is a sequel to The French Connection given the open, confusing and, some would say, entirely unsatisfying ending of the original. I mean, hey, the good guys are supposed to win, right? Well, this film fixes that if in a rather drawn out and mechanical way.
The best thing about this film is Hackman's acting which is much more intense and volatile than in the first film. Although some of it was a little much for me, he certainly got his points across. All the other actors (apparently French for the most part) were good but came off as wooden posts next to the fiery Hackman. This really was a showpiece for Hackman more than anything else.
The story, while feeling inevitable, also felt a bit contrived and unrealistic at times. Many liberties were taken in order to achieve the main objective which was for Popeye to get his man... which he does... to the satisfaction of many a fan of the original. After four years, we finally have closure.
However, this time the villain lacks the certain diabolical mystery he effused in the first film. The characters are presented a little bit more one-dimensionally and we lack the depth from the first film. Understandably, the film was likely written with the end in mind while the rest was just people sitting around brainstorming how to fill in the two hours leading up to the predictable end. It is good enough but not the powerful psychological thrill-ride of the first film (the amazing car chase from the first film is replaced with a rather, uninspired foot-chase with a winded Hackman in slow pursuit of the villain on a plodding boat lazily escaping a dock). Another thing that is a little frustrating for me was the fact that every other character speaks in a heavy French accent which makes much of the rapid-fire dialog very difficult to understand. I had to set "English subtitles for the hearing impaired" on the DVD so I could tell what they were saying much of the time.
If you enjoyed the first film, you will no doubt enjoy this one... If for no other reason to see the bad guy get his comeuppance even if in a somewhat anticlimactic way. If you've never seen the original French Connection, you probably won't get much out of the sequel as the original really sets the stage for this film.
John Frankenheimer is the director and I love most everything he has done but this movie doesn't "feel" much like a Frankenheimer film. Compared to his greats like The Manchurian Candidate, Grand Prix and Black Sunday, this just seems out of character. But at any rate, it is certainly a watchable film and something of a must-see for those who are fans of the original.
The best thing about this film is Hackman's acting which is much more intense and volatile than in the first film. Although some of it was a little much for me, he certainly got his points across. All the other actors (apparently French for the most part) were good but came off as wooden posts next to the fiery Hackman. This really was a showpiece for Hackman more than anything else.
The story, while feeling inevitable, also felt a bit contrived and unrealistic at times. Many liberties were taken in order to achieve the main objective which was for Popeye to get his man... which he does... to the satisfaction of many a fan of the original. After four years, we finally have closure.
However, this time the villain lacks the certain diabolical mystery he effused in the first film. The characters are presented a little bit more one-dimensionally and we lack the depth from the first film. Understandably, the film was likely written with the end in mind while the rest was just people sitting around brainstorming how to fill in the two hours leading up to the predictable end. It is good enough but not the powerful psychological thrill-ride of the first film (the amazing car chase from the first film is replaced with a rather, uninspired foot-chase with a winded Hackman in slow pursuit of the villain on a plodding boat lazily escaping a dock). Another thing that is a little frustrating for me was the fact that every other character speaks in a heavy French accent which makes much of the rapid-fire dialog very difficult to understand. I had to set "English subtitles for the hearing impaired" on the DVD so I could tell what they were saying much of the time.
If you enjoyed the first film, you will no doubt enjoy this one... If for no other reason to see the bad guy get his comeuppance even if in a somewhat anticlimactic way. If you've never seen the original French Connection, you probably won't get much out of the sequel as the original really sets the stage for this film.
John Frankenheimer is the director and I love most everything he has done but this movie doesn't "feel" much like a Frankenheimer film. Compared to his greats like The Manchurian Candidate, Grand Prix and Black Sunday, this just seems out of character. But at any rate, it is certainly a watchable film and something of a must-see for those who are fans of the original.