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MINI-REVIEW:

"The French Connection" proved to be a massive hit, both with critics and audiences. It also became the first R-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture. Today, a sequel to such a film would certainly be inevitable, but back in the '70s, a sequel to a picture of that magnitude was somewhat of a daunting task.

In 1975, director John Frankenheimer set out to do just that, though — make a sequel to a film that was more-or-less a closed book. The result is "French Connection II," an uneven viewing experience that lacks the emotion, grit and energy of the first film.

This time around, "Popeye" Doyle is sent to Marseilles to track down drug dealer Alain Charnier (Fernando Ray), who eluded Doyle's capture at the end of the first film.

"French Connection II" is more of a nonsensical "fish out of water" story with Doyle traipsing around Marseilles, taking in the sights and sounds of France and observing the various cultural differences, for nearly 40 minutes. There's a tedious nearly 10-minute long sequence where Doyle drinks with a bartender and shares his cultural divide and distastes. Following this scene, there's a three-minute sequence where Doyle coyly flirts with a bikini-clad volleyball player to no avail. Neither scene adds any depth or realism to Doyle, painting him more as a comic hero of sorts — to be mocked and even laughed at.

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In fact, it's almost a full 90 minutes before the film really starts. Doyle, who gets hocked on smack during the film's muddy middle act, finds himself mostly cured, but still on-the-fence with his French counterparts. He attempts to figure out when the next big drug shipment will take place, in hopes of stopping Charnier once and for all. The usual barricades present themselves, paving the way for a few lurid action sequences to ensue, though none come nearly as close to the intensity of the first film.

Director Frankenheimer does his best to keep the film moving, and he succeeds admirably in the final act, but the 90 minutes of dreck that precede the finale are of little interest, perhaps even tainting one's enjoyment of the first film, which is something no sequel should ever do.

Film Report Card:

Entertainment Value: C

Film Value: C-

Final Grade:

C-

The Disc:

Video:

"French Connection II" is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen using the AVC MPEG-4 codec on a BD50 dual-layer disc.

Audio:

Audio choices are English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English, Spanish, French Mono with Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired.

Special Features:

? Commentary by Actor Gene Hackman & Producer Robert Rosen

? Commentary by Director John Frankenheimer

? Frankenheimer in Focus Featurette (25 minutes, HD)

? A Conversation with Gene Hackman Featurette (7 minutes, HD)

? Stills Gallery (HD)

? Isolated 5.1 Score Track

? D-Box Motion Control

Recommendation: Rent it first.

On Blu-ray: February 24, 2009.

Here's the film's theatrical trailer: