French Connection / French Connection 2 [1975] DVD ~ Gene Hackman  (11)  £5.48

French Connection 2 [1975] DVD ~ Gene Hackman  (2)  £4.97

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Amazon.co.uk Review
A milestone film from 1971 and winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, The French Connection transformed the crime thriller with its gritty, authentic story about New York City police detectives on the trail of a large shipment of heroin.

Based on an actual police case and the illustrious career of New York cop Eddie Egan, the film stars Gene Hackman as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, whose unorthodox methods of crime fighting are anything but diplomatic. With his partner (Roy Scheider), Popeye investigates the international shipment of heroin masterminded by the suave Frenchman (Fernando Rey) who eludes Popeye throughout an escalating series of pursuits. The obsessive tension of Doyle's investigation reaches peak intensity during the film's breathtaking car chase, in which Doyle races under New York's elevated train tracks in a borrowed sedan--a sequence that earned an Oscar for editing and was instantly hailed as one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed.

Produced on location, The French Connection had an immediate influence on dozens of movies and TV shows to follow, virtually redefining the crime thriller with its combination of brutal realism and high-octane craftsmanship. Boosted by the film's phenomenal success, director William Friedkin took his attention towards redefining the horror genre with his next film The Exorcist.--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Following on from the original four years later, French Connection II takes "Popeye" Doyle to Marsailles to hunt down Alain Charnier, the "daddy" of the smuggling ring. Gene Hackman returns to revive his role as Doyle the brutal and uncompromising narcotics detective, and turns in an equally hard hitting performance to that offered in the original.

Special Features
16:9 Wide Screen
English
Region 2


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7 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (7 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: A True Motion Picture Classic In every Sense Of The Word., 10 Mar 2002 By  Mr. G. P. Hatton (Lancashire) - See all my reviews       Gene Hackman excels in this real life account of the most successful narcotics investigation in the history of U.S law enforcement. The case started when the two New York detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso (played by Gene Hackman and Roy Scnieder)visited a night club on thier way home from work one night. Whilst they were there they noticed a known Mafiosi spreading around lots of cash, so they decided to follow him after they left the club, little did they know then but they were about to embark on a case that would have international ramifications and end up being a ground breaking case that shook the heroin network in New York. Hackman won on oscar for his superb pasionate portrayal of the New York Narc Detective, Schnider also helped out with a good supporting role culminating in a fast paced crime thriller that would set the tone for all future action movies. If Hackman's performance won him an oscar in the first movie, then he should also have had the same accolade for his harrowing performance in part 2, his acting skills were tested to the limit when he had to portray the victim of an insidious kidnaping where he was turned into a heroin addict for him to talk to his subjects and then dumped out on the streets of Marsielle's after he had told them what they wanted to know. However the second part to this story is fictitous but never the less it was an excellent way to end the story, showing the strength of what men can do when they are pushed to the brink, and established by a wonderful cast of characters and brought to reality by the endorsement of Hackmans supberb display in both movies. A classic that will always be rememberd for just that, and even better on DVD with great special features and a bargain at this price, and an epic 2 films that any collector should not ignore for his collection.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: A milestone in low budget film-making crossing over to mains, 18 Feb 2002 By A Customer the first film directed by William (The Exocist) Friedkin is a classic milestone film that, at the time was met with both controversy and critical success, this was new to America audiences, a mainstream film that employed shaky handheld camera work, while it added to the grittiness required it perhaps put off a few viewers, Hackmans performance will always be remebered for his assertiveness and deterination, the car chase among other scenes really bring this film tension. It's the little things in the film that make it up a cut above other cop movies. The sequel, released four years later was an amiable attempt to remain faithful to the first film, it see's Popeye Doyle (Hackeman) in Marseilles still on the trail of the drugs baron from the first film, while being in its own right an average cop thriller it lacks the grittiness and mood from the first film, John (Ronin) Frankenheimer directs. The extras on the dvds are truly excellent, the scene specific commentary tracks from Hackman and Schneider are very interesting as well as the directors commentaries, making of as well as the usual trailers, tv spots etc  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Two brilliant films and some great extras, 18 Dec 2002 By  William Brown - See all my reviews    Detective Doyle attempting to pursue a criminal over the Brooklyn Bridge in traffic bottleneck, amidst the tirade of car horns and exclamations of maddened New York drivers. The juxtaposition in a single camera shot of the chief heroin smuggler dining in a luxurious heated restaurant, whilst Doyle stands opposite surveilling him, drinking cheap coffee in a freezing Manhattan street. It is the attention to detail in such shots, rooted in reality and sharply observed, that combined with the sweep of an intriguing storyline gives The French Connection an endless fascination. Taking the real life case of one of the most successful heroin busts in US history as its basis; the film focuses on the obsessive and brutalising personality of its chief instigator as he pursues the case from its beginning, a seemingly insignificant party in a downtown nightclub, to its ending in an abandoned warehouse on Wards Island. What makes the film so superb is that whilst Friedkin employs the filmmakers' artistic licence to exaggerate the excitement of reality, the film is totally believable and consequently highly engrossing. The mood of the film is dark, edgy and urban. The depiction of the relentless chase the very embodiment of the personality of one of the most memorable film characters in the history of cinema - Popeye Doyle. The French Connection 2 continues in the tradition of the reality style film making of the original, however the plot is entirely fictional. In its power and suspense it almost equals the original. It focuses again on the obsessive character of Doyle as he pursues Charnier around his Marseille base. This time, however, Doyle is in an alien environment and we are shown the venerability that lies very near to the surface of his forceful exterior. Both of these two films are amongst my all time favourites and the DVD includes some fascinating extras that add a whole new dimension to them. Buy and enjoy!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 7 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews "YOU EVER PICKED YOUR FEET IN POUGHKEEPSIE??" The movie that gave birth to the genre of the tough, gritty, New York cop thriller is here in all it's glory on DVD, along with perhaps it's less famous sequel. Read more Published on 4 Oct 2004 by castillo710 French Connection the french connection,the title makes you think what is it? the french connection is one of the best films ever made,the virtual unknowns of billy friedkin and gene hackman... Read more Published on 6 Nov 2003 by martindaniels1988 One of the most innovative films of the 70's The French Connection, directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman and Roy Schnieder, takes one of the biggest drug-busts of all time in the USA and creates a... Read more Published on 30 Jul 2003 by Jimmy A dark, deeply intense classic The minute I began watching this film I was deeply rooted into the dark reality of the crime fighting world. Read more Published on 23 Jun 2003 by litelistener Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's review