Cult Franchise Minisode Review: The French Connection 1 & 2

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[00:00:12] I'm Popeye's here! Your hands on your head!

[00:00:17] Winner of five Academy Awards, Gene Hackman, The French Connection.

[00:00:22] All right!

[00:00:24] Viewer discretion advised due to mature theme of this program.

[00:00:27] The Thursday Night Movie on CBS.

[00:00:31] When Gene Hackman created the character of Detective Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, his performance won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

[00:00:42] Now, 20th Century Fox presents Gene Hackman in a new look at the legend of Popeye Doyle and the pursuit.

[00:00:51] An incredible chase that leads to Marseille, France, the crossroads of Europe and Africa, the beginning of the Riviera,

[00:01:02] the world's busiest port for the trading of heroin, and the headquarters of... Frog One, The French Connection.

[00:01:11] But Marseille isn't Manhattan.

[00:01:14] Speak English!

[00:01:14] I like a, um, four roses straight up, there's water on the side.

[00:01:19] What?

[00:01:19] Mayonnaise!

[00:01:21] Mayo, Mayo, Mayo, Mayo.

[00:01:23] Scotch!

[00:01:24] There he is. Right there.

[00:01:25] Hell Scotch-o.

[00:01:26] What the matter?

[00:01:26] Mayo!

[00:01:27] Mayo!

[00:01:28] Popeye.

[00:01:29] Mr. Doyle, I was requested to help you.

[00:01:32] I didn't request that you come here.

[00:01:34] What do you know about Marseille?

[00:01:37] You think it's Harlem just kicking blacks around the streets?

[00:01:40] No!

[00:01:41] No!

[00:01:42] I've been a New York cop for 14 years.

[00:01:44] I know that the dope that comes out of this city has killed a lot more than I have.

[00:01:49] I've been a post in New York from the president of France, but I came over for one thing and one thing only, that's to get Charnier, and that's what I'm gonna do.

[00:01:56] A trap is set for Alain Charnier, the French connection, and Popeye is the bait in an extraordinary game of cat and mouse.

[00:02:10] Out, down, down, down!

[00:02:11] A game where there are no rules, and there are no winners until the bait gets hooked.

[00:02:20] I must say, Mr. Doyle, that you were the one person I did not want to see again.

[00:02:27] But I won't call.

[00:02:30] Honest.

[00:02:31] Quite stupid.

[00:02:33] But honest.

[00:02:36] Tell me the truth.

[00:02:37] What set up one night?

[00:02:38] Whose idea was it?

[00:02:53] Wise Revenge.

[00:02:55] The final chapter in the pursuit of the French Connection.

[00:03:03] Why don't you go back to New York and kill policemen since that's what you do best?

[00:03:07] In 1971, the French Connection won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year.

[00:03:17] Only one film could follow it.

[00:03:20] Gene Hackman in French Connection 2.

[00:04:11] Once again, ladies and gents, here for another cult franchise mini review.

[00:04:15] Always lovely to talk with you guys.

[00:04:18] This time I gotta talk.

[00:04:19] Just myself.

[00:04:20] Cause I can't expect everyone to get on every single episode and reschedule everything.

[00:04:24] For some franchises, you just gotta talk for just 10 minutes on.

[00:04:27] So here it goes.

[00:04:28] The French Connection.

[00:04:29] Early 70s, followed by a redundant sequel that is appreciated by some.

[00:04:34] First one was just one of the first movie I ever saw by William Friedkin,

[00:04:39] who you guys also might know from Sorcerer and obviously The Exorcist.

[00:04:43] And later on, other decent action, mystery, or sci-fi movies such as Bug, Rules of Engagement, and The Hunted.

[00:04:50] I've always loved Friedkin.

[00:04:52] I even would go so far as to say that The Guardian from 1990 is extremely underrated.

[00:04:57] He's just been another one who, I think he did way better than Brian De Palma at just playing the Hollywood game and just realizing there's something that's gonna get cut from my movies either for length or just me disagreeing with the Fox or Paramount executives.

[00:05:12] But lo and behold, he's still deeply beloved.

[00:05:16] And, you know, this movie is just a precursor to all the high-tension 70s movies that we all know and love today.

[00:05:26] It was inspired by real life, you know, NARC who was hunting down various just dangerous European criminals who were just murdering and snorting all this drugs.

[00:05:38] You know, not snorting, smuggling all these drugs into the whole area of the United States.

[00:05:47] And it's just when you look at just you've seen all the stories how it's just they had no permit on certain places.

[00:05:53] They made use of just all the real life stuff that you could not get away with today.

[00:05:58] And yes, does all the praise hold up? You betcha. It's got a very evil ending and just nonstop, you know, interrogations.

[00:06:07] Yes, there's some politically incorrect language by today's standards, but that's, you know, for those looking for again a Serpico meets, you know, pre-speed kind of movie.

[00:06:18] This is where it is. Popeye Doyle is just a badass and one of Gene Hackman's best roles to date.

[00:06:24] Again, just everything from just the train chase to again, the in-car chase.

[00:06:29] It just still just dazzles. It's often compared to Bullet, you know, the Steve McQueen movie.

[00:06:35] But, you know, I saw this first, so there's a bit of bias. So I always thought this worked way better than Bullet, which, truth be told, was more of a mystery movie that then shocked everyone by the unexpected but very well done car chase at the end.

[00:06:47] So, Bullet doesn't have as tight a story or much of a story with a cool car chase.

[00:06:54] And this one, I remember everything from beginning to end and just Roy Scheider and Gene Hackman were just a great buddy duo.

[00:07:00] And I never will understand the seven ups. I understand it's beloved for that brief car chase, but I always found that just ho-hum and just kind of a, just made me long for some better Charles Bronson type actioners.

[00:07:13] This first one still to this day is just a great movie.

[00:07:17] I have tried multiple times with the sequel, Prince Connection 2.

[00:07:21] It's very decent. And John Frankenheimer is the king of frills. And much like this, he approached everything like a mercenary job but always did the best with what he had and I think is reasonably shot and well paced.

[00:07:33] And yet, I just, at the end of the day, whenever I see it, I just always feel like it's just well-worn territory and always ends on a redundant note where it's like, I can see why some enjoy it, but underrated? Not even close.

[00:07:47] It's a like it or hate it, but not a must see at all.

[00:07:49] And with the criminals escaping and Doyle just, you know, going overseas trying to exact his justice on the murderers and getting, you know, captured and then shooting his way out of the whole thing.

[00:08:02] It just felt like it was just trying to recall earlier James Bond adventures from around that same period.

[00:08:08] I did not, I still don't think it's a must see, but obviously if you get one of those DVD or Blu-ray two packs, it's not a movie you're going to regret having in your collection.

[00:08:17] So, all and behold, I really don't know why these don't get talked about enough.

[00:08:21] I just think again, you know, if you want to see Gene Hackman at his best, I mean, let alone just good 70s chase movies, these are where they're at.

[00:08:31] This is Sully signing off.

[00:08:33] We'll return after these messages.

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