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In his commentary, director John Frankenheimer tells that his experience filming FRENCH CONNECTION II began with "a title and Gene Hackman." Unlike the first film, this sequel was not based directly on a true story of America's largest drug bust, but rather was a studio-driven project following up on Hackman's indelible anti-hero character who wowed critics and audiences alike, Popeye Doyle. This obsessive, abusive New York detective had quickly become a 1970s box office and cultural icon, and 20th Century Fox knew there was more drama to mine from Hackman's fictitious persona. With the focus shifting to Doyle's character, his manic drive and psychological meltdown, Popeye's quest to take down the escaped French heroin importer Charnier becomes a personal gauntlet in the hands of Frankenheimer and Hackman, supported by the understated, naturalistic script by Alexander Jacobs, Robert Dillon and Laurie Dillon. The results are perhaps less visually dynamic than THE FRENCH CONNECTION, but the dramatic texture and slow-building tension wrought by Hackman's performance is no less gritty or engrossing. In classic fish-out-of-water mode, Popeye is set up by his own New York superior as bait dropped into the Marseilles underworld in order to lure Charnier out of hiding to eliminate his American foe. When Popeye is eventually kidnapped off the street, Charnier exacts his revenge by addicting Doyle to heroin as a diabolical form of interrogation to learn what Popeye knows of the smuggling operation. Watch for a creepy, compelling appearance by veteran stage actress Cathleen Nesbitt as an elderly drug addict aiding in Popeye's captivity. The middle act of FRENCH CONNECTION II plays out the arrogant fall, nightmarish purgatory and eventual rise of Popeye Doyle, as his French detective counterpart (played with forceful conviction by Bernard Fresson) risks the investigation to find and rehabilitate Doyle. Hackman's acting amid his heroin-induced stupor and torturous withdrawals provide the emotional, gritty violence which the first film found in New York's back streets and head-knocking interrogations, but with the violence now turned inward on Popeye. His world turned upside down, the abusive strongarm upholding moral judgment now cast as the strung-out victim of his own compulsions, Doyle's character is deepened and destroyed, then rebuilt before viewers' eyes by two great film artists, Gene Hackman and John Frankenheimer. I'll let the final act unfold for viewers as intended, but suffice it to say that Doyle's moral and psychological resurrection and his prosecution of the globe-spanning case against Alain Charnier ends with dramatic satisfaction, if only as abruptly as its predecessor ended ambiguously in true 1970s cinema style. While it may lack the all-American panache of the original film, FRENCH CONNECTION II accomplishes a rare feat for a sequel to a stunningly popular film: it expands and elevates a world we've visited before, revealing new thrills and delving into surprising depths all navigated within the soul of its central character. We make this journey with Popeye Doyle, but he delivers us to resolution as a very different man from that who first began on this twisted path, and this shines as Hackman's and Frankenheimer's enduring triumph of FRENCH CONNECTION II .
While viewers may debate which of the two films is a greater cinematic achievement, it's clear that this Blu-ray edition of FRENCH CONNECTION II possesses the better high-definition transfer in image quality by far, thanks to Frankenheimer's brightened vision as captured with dramatic mood and contrast by cinematographer Claude Renoir (indeed, the grandson of the famous impressionist painter). The 1080p picture resolution preserves the original 1.85:1 aspect via AVC MPEG-4 codec, delivering a much cleaner, less-grainy image than was available to pull from the dimly lit shots of the first film. Though some argue such crisp, bright images detract from the film's stature, I propose that Frankenheimer's sequel relies on emotional rather than environmental darkness and exposing Doyle's and Charnier's underworld to the brighter light of day helps avoid a formulaic follow-up as one would expect. This HD transfer also shows off the stunning production design and sets of Jacques Saulnier and Charles Merangel which add palpable realism and authenticity to the dramatic backdrop of a crime-riddled port of call. Inevitably, the equally clean, sharp 5.1 lossless DTS-HD Master Audio English soundtrack may not give your surround system a broadly spatial, woofer-thumping workout since the 1975 sound mix simply doesn't challenge modern home theaters. Nevertheless, the dialogue, sound effects and score deliver clear, noiseless audio which engages viewers' ears as ably as does the high-def video. English, Spanish and French mono tracks are also available, along with subtitle captions in English, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin. Two full-length, quite entertaining Commentary Tracks supplement the feature film: a very thorough contribution by the late director John Frankenheimer, recorded for a prior DVD release but just as accurate and insightful; and a complete tag-team discussion by star Gene Hackman and producer Robert Rosen, a pleasant surprise since Hackman only provided a partial interview chat for THE FRENCH CONNECTION. In a way, this seeming imbalance actually works in this film's favor on Blu-ray, as FRENCH CONNECTION II is much more Hackman's film, and he has a great deal to say about his challenging task to revisit Popeye Doyle. Rosen still carries the slightly larger bulk of their shared commentary track, offering a keen memory to production events as related scenes play on-screen, including a fun tale of getting baseball great Mickey Mantle's permission for reference in Hackman's notorious drunk scene from the film. Frankenheimer's commentary is likely the more valuable as he relates his deliberate crossovers and diversions as a sequel director from Friedkin's original hit four years prior.
Bonus features conclude with two Still Galleries devoted to Wardrobe and Storyboards. The latter collection proves the more valuable treat for lovers of such DVD-style extras, though it exploits none of the technological innovations like picture-in-picture which only the Blu-ray format can deliver. While this interaction between bonus extras and film scenes would be fruitless for a study of wardrobe, a high-tech comparison of storyboards to the final film would deliver the highest impact and value of these rare, vintage pre-production treasures. Alas, both of these still galleries are presented in very tiny images suited to (barely) fill a 4:3 standard aspect ratio, and appear even smaller and harder to appreciate on an HDTV. Clearly no effort was made to enhance these galleries for Blu-ray exploitation, and as such they are the weakest bonus feature offered for both films by Fox. REVIEW SUMMARY While the film didn't follow in its predecessor's footsteps as a box office winner, John Frankenheimer's FRENCH CONNECTION II stands as a worthy, independent yet consistent sequel which expands on Popeye Doyle's film legacy and crime-stopping legend, courtesy of Gene Hackman's powerful, painfully intimate exploration of the character. FilmEdge highly recommends any fans and viewers shopping for THE FRENCH CONNECTION Blu-ray release ensure that they add its handsome and satisfying sequel along side in their disc library. The pair represent a classic time of bold innovation and daring storytelling in 1970s cinema, and Gene Hackman personifies that era of film acting with two masterful performances in this indelible role, making FRENCH CONNECTION II equally imperative as an appreciation of this living legend's work. BLU-RAY SPECIFICATIONS VIDEO: Blu-ray 1080p resolution AVC encoding at 26 MBPS, original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 50GB Dual Layer discs
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