French Connection II

French Connection II is a 1975 American action thriller film starring Gene Hackman and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a sequel to the 1971 Academy Award for Best Picture winner The French Connection. The film continues the story of the central character, Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, again played by Gene Hackman who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the first film. In the film, Doyle travels to Marseille, France, where he is attempting to track down French drug-dealer Alain Charnier, played by Fernando Rey, who escaped at the end of the first film. Hackman and Rey are the only returning cast members.