Jonah

Abstract

One characteristic of directors trained in television is their extraordinary stamina. John Frankenheimer pays tribute to that underrated virtue in The French Connection II (1975), where Gene Hackman's pursuit on foot of Fernando Rey making his getaway by boat is far more engaging than William Friedkin's famed French Connection car chase (1971). Out of shape after his detox, dodging through Marseille crowds with his eye on the boat that he isn't even sure contains his quarry, almost too exhausted by the end to clamber over a low barrier when he finally sees an opening onto the water, Hackman squeezes offtwo shots as Rey emerges onto the deck, sure that his Droopy-like adversary has been left far behind. Bang bang!-Rey, startled, tumbles back and the film is over. Frankenheimer's career was like that chase.