French Connection II (1975) Synopsis

Picking up two or three years where the first 'French Connection' film left of, New York City police detective James R. "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is sent to Marseilles, France, to work with the French Sûreté, ostensibly because he is the only policeman who recognizes Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), also known as "Frog One," and Marseilles' "heroin kingpin," who escaped from New York at the end of the previous film. Popeye meets his French counterpart, Inspector Henri Barthélémy (Bernard Fresson), during an anti-drug operation on the waterfront. Barthélémy resents hosting Popeye, whose aggressive, go-at-it-alone tactics resulted in the deaths of two policemen. Furthermore, corruption within the New York Police Department resulted in the disappearance of the heroin Popeye took into custody. Popeye thinks the French police are incompetent and lazy, and he shows open disregard for French culture and language at every turn.Meanwhile, on a Marseilles tour boat, Jacques (Philippe Leotard), one of Charnier's men, secretly pays a Japanese ship captain for smuggling heroin into the city. Elsewhere, Charnier shoots pheasants on his country estate with U.S. General William Brian (Ed Lauter).Later, Popeye accompanies Barthélémy's men on a raid, and when he sees a dark man slipping away, he gives chase and tackles him in the Arab Quarter. Barthélémy's policemen arrive, set the man free, and whisper to Popeye that he is an officer working undercover. However, local criminals cut the man's throat as he walks away.Charnier meets General Brian in a restaurant to discuss heroin shipments, and sees Popeye outside a window.That night, Charnier's men overpower Popeye and take him to the rundown Hotel Colonnades, where the half-conscious Popeye sees the establishment's former name, Hotel de Tanger, written in sidewalk tile. Charnier tells Popeye he will keep him drugged until he confesses what he knows. For the next three weeks, Charnier's men inject Popeye with heroin. At one point, an addicted elderly English woman (Cathleen Nesbitt) steals his watch while she soothes him.Finally, Popeye confesses he was sent to Marseilles because nobody else knows what Charnier looks like. Satisfied, Charnier tells his henchmen to inject him with an overdose and dump him in front of Sûreté headquarters. A police medical team revives Popeye, and Barthélémy locks him in a basement jail cell for weeks to keep his drug habit secret. Popeye endures agonizing withdrawal, but loses his physical addiction.Later, when the policemen drive Popeye around the city to see if he recognizes anything from his captivity, he realizes he was sent to Marseilles as bait to bring Charnier into the open. He begins a regimen of exercise, working out in his hotel room and jogging through the city to regain his strength. When he finds the tiled "Hotel de Tanger" sidewalk, Popeye telephones Barthélémy and tells him to bring water.Popeye carries a can of gasoline into the hotel and sets it afire. The police arrive as the inhabitants flee from the building, including one of Popeye's captors. Popeye beats him until he reveals that Charnier has gone to collect a shipment of drugs from a ship from Rotterdam, Holland.Barthélémy, Popeye, and a contingent of policemen hurry to the waterfront, where several of Charnier's men unload large amounts of heroin from a ship in dry dock. Spotting Barthélémy's agents approaching from beneath the ship, the criminals open sluices to let water pour into the dry dock. Policemen arrive in time to save Barthélémy, Popeye, and others from drowning.That night, alone in his room, Popeye contemplates using two small bags of heroin he took from the criminal outside the Colonnades, but after a few moments, he dumps the powder on the floor.Later, Popeye reasons that Charnier and his men did not have time to pay off the Dutch captain because they had to flee the waterfront quickly.For the next few days, the police spy on the ship until the captain walks to a telephone booth and makes a call. Sûreté agents follow him closely and report to Barthélémy that he exchanged air flight bags with an unidentified stranger on a tour boat, but Popeye recognizes him as Jacques. Barthélémy radios Jacques's description to all Sûreté agents, who follow him to a factory where heroin is being converted to a milky liquid and canned as bouillabaisse soup. Police raid the factory and Jacques is killed, but Charnier escapes and boards a bus. Popeye chases him on foot through the slow city traffic. Losing him briefly at a marina, Popeye instinctively follows a yacht as it moves along the edge of the busy port. When Charnier appears on the yacht's deck, Popeye shoots him dead.

Picking up two or three years where the first 'French Connection' film left of, New York City police detective James R. "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) is sent to Marseilles, France, to work with the French Sûreté, ostensibly because he is the only policeman who recognizes Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), also known as "Frog One," and Marseilles' "heroin kingpin," who escaped from New York at the end of the previous film. Popeye meets his French counterpart, Inspector Henri Barthélémy (Bernard Fresson), during an anti-drug operation on the waterfront. Barthélémy resents hosting Popeye, whose aggressive, go-at-it-alone tactics resulted in the deaths of two policemen. Furthermore, corruption within the New York Police Department resulted in the disappearance of the heroin Popeye took into custody. Popeye thinks the French police are incompetent and lazy, and he shows open disregard for French culture and language at every turn.Meanwhile, on a Marseilles tour boat, Jacques (Philippe Leotard), one of Charnier's men, secretly pays a Japanese ship captain for smuggling heroin into the city. Elsewhere, Charnier shoots pheasants on his country estate with U.S. General William Brian (Ed Lauter).Later, Popeye accompanies Barthélémy's men on a raid, and when he sees a dark man slipping away, he gives chase and tackles him in the Arab Quarter. Barthélémy's policemen arrive, set the man free, and whisper to Popeye that he is an officer working undercover. However, local criminals cut the man's throat as he walks away.Charnier meets General Brian in a restaurant to discuss heroin shipments, and sees Popeye outside a window.That night, Charnier's men overpower Popeye and take him to the rundown Hotel Colonnades, where the half-conscious Popeye sees the establishment's former name, Hotel de Tanger, written in sidewalk tile. Charnier tells Popeye he will keep him drugged until he confesses what he knows. For the next three weeks, Charnier's men inject Popeye with heroin. At one point, an addicted elderly English woman (Cathleen Nesbitt) steals his watch while she soothes him.Finally, Popeye confesses he was sent to Marseilles because nobody else knows what Charnier looks like. Satisfied, Charnier tells his henchmen to inject him with an overdose and dump him in front of Sûreté headquarters. A police medical team revives Popeye, and Barthélémy locks him in a basement jail cell for weeks to keep his drug habit secret. Popeye endures agonizing withdrawal, but loses his physical addiction.Later, when the policemen drive Popeye around the city to see if he recognizes anything from his captivity, he realizes he was sent to Marseilles as bait to bring Charnier into the open. He begins a regimen of exercise, working out in his hotel room and jogging through the city to regain his strength. When he finds the tiled "Hotel de Tanger" sidewalk, Popeye telephones Barthélémy and tells him to bring water.Popeye carries a can of gasoline into the hotel and sets it afire. The police arrive as the inhabitants flee from the building, including one of Popeye's captors. Popeye beats him until he reveals that Charnier has gone to collect a shipment of drugs from a ship from Rotterdam, Holland.Barthélémy, Popeye, and a contingent of policemen hurry to the waterfront, where several of Charnier's men unload large amounts of heroin from a ship in dry dock. Spotting Barthélémy's agents approaching from beneath the ship, the criminals open sluices to let water pour into the dry dock. Policemen arrive in time to save Barthélémy, Popeye, and others from drowning.That night, alone in his room, Popeye contemplates using two small bags of heroin he took from the criminal outside the Colonnades, but after a few moments, he dumps the powder on the floor.Later, Popeye reasons that Charnier and his men did not have time to pay off the Dutch captain because they had to flee the waterfront quickly.For the next few days, the police spy on the ship until the captain walks to a telephone booth and makes a call. Sûreté agents follow him closely and report to Barthélémy that he exchanged air flight bags with an unidentified stranger on a tour boat, but Popeye recognizes him as Jacques. Barthélémy radios Jacques's description to all Sûreté agents, who follow him to a factory where heroin is being converted to a milky liquid and canned as bouillabaisse soup. Police raid the factory and Jacques is killed, but Charnier escapes and boards a bus. Popeye chases him on foot through the slow city traffic. Losing him briefly at a marina, Popeye instinctively follows a yacht as it moves along the edge of the busy port. When Charnier appears on the yacht's deck, Popeye shoots him dead.

Published Time: 2018-09-30 02:08:57