The French Connection and French Connection II Blu-ray Reviews

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Based on a true story, and the winner of 5 Academy Awards in 1971, The French Connection set the standard for "cop" movies. This classic story stars Gene Hackman and it is now available on Blu-ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment as of February 24th. Also available on Blu-ray on the same release date is the follow up 1975 sequel, French Connection II.

Gene Hackman stars as aggressive and risk-taking New York detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle. Together with partner Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), Doyle looks to uncover a narcotics smuggling ring, that as the name suggests, has a "French connection". A ring of French businessmen are behind the operation. With big money at stake, they are not too keen on the efforts of Doyle and Russo to get in the way of business.

Best Picture, Directing (William Friedkin), Actor (Hackman), Adapted Screenplay, and Film Editing are the 5 awards The French Connection took home at the 1971 Academy Awards. It is interesting to see the young Gene Hackman in a breakout role he played 38 years ago. This movie released 6 years before the original Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve, in which Hackman played the villain Lex Luther.

Special features in the Blu-ray release of The French Connection include:

• William Friedkin Introduction to the French Connection
• Commentary by William Friedkin
• Commentary by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider
• Trivia Track
• Isolated Score Track
• Enhanced for D-Box Motion Control Systems
• Deleted Scenes
• Anatomy of a Chase
• Hackman on Doyle
• Friedkin and Grosso Remember the Real French Connection
• Scene of the Crime
• Color Timing The French Connection
• Cop Jazz: The Music of Don Ellis
• Rogue Cop: The Noir Connection
• BBC Documentary: The Poughkeepsie Shuffle
• Making the Connection: The Untold Stories of The French Connection

• Actors: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi
• Directors: William Friedkin William Friedkin
• Writers: Edward M. Keyes, Ernest Tidyman, Howard Hawks, Robin Moore
• Producers: G. David Schine, Kenneth Utt, Philip D'Antoni
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Blu-ray Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 104 minutes

In French Connection II, Gene Hackman once again plays hard-nosed New York Detective "Popeye" Doyle. Determined again to break up a French narcotics ring, Doyle gets too close and is kidnapped by a heroin kingpin in Marseilles. Doyle is actually forced to become a junkie himself. The turmoil and drama is much more real and personal in French Connection II, which leads to a more hostile Doyle.

French Connection II includes these special features:

• A Conversation with Gene Hackman
• Enhanced for D-Box Motion Control Systems
• Commentary by Gene Hackman and Producer Robert Rosen
• Commentary by Director John Frankenheimer
• Frankenheimer: In Focus and Isolated Score Track (DTS MA)
• Still Galleries

• Actors: Gene Hackman, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Pierre Collet, Raoul Delfosse, Jacques Dynam, Alexandre Fabre
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Blu-ray Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 119 minutes

It is interesting to watch The French Connection films 30-plus years after their original release. Even with the high definition technology of Blu-ray, the picture quality of the movies is a bit lacking. Of course, modern technology cannot fully makeup for more antiquated filming and production equipment of days past. Still, by today's standards, these movies seem a bit outdated. However, to appreciate the movies and the acting of Hackman, you have to take into account the impact the films had on the action genre and "cop" movies in general.

Reviewed by Neil