French Connection II is a 1975 crime thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer. The film is a sequel to the Oscar-winning film, The French Connection, and stars Gene Hackman reprising his role as "Popeye" Doyle. In this movie, Doyle travels to Marseille, France, to continue his pursuit of Alain Charnier, a drug smuggler who had previously eluded him in New York.
Upon arriving in Marseille, Doyle works with the local police to try and track down Charnier. However, he soon finds himself in over his head when he is kidnapped by Charnier's henchmen and forcibly injected with heroin. Left for dead in a dingy cell, Doyle must fight to survive the harrowing withdrawals while still keeping Charnier in his sights.
Throughout the film, Doyle's relentless pursuit of Charnier takes him all over Marseille, from seedy bars and nightclubs to the city's bustling docks. With the help of a fellow addict and a sympathetic police inspector, Doyle finally tracks down Charnier and confronts him in a dramatic and suspenseful finale.
French Connection II was praised for its gritty, realistic portrayal of drug addiction and the seedy underbelly of Marseille. Gene Hackman received critical accolades for his performance, which was widely regarded as one of his best. The film helped cement the French Connection franchise as one of the most iconic crime thrillers of the 1970s.