Popeye Doyle kill count

In THE FRENCH CONNECTION and FRENCH CONNECTION II, Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman played Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle, a tough New York cop who inspired the character of Jack Regan in The Sweeney. Doyle pursued a drug baron called Alain Charnier and in his quest, he killed 4 men. Here is the list.

THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
Hitman Pierre Nicoli
FBI Agent Mulderig (accidental)

THE FRENCH CONNECTION II (1975)
Nameless gunman
Alain Charnier (he killed him because he forcefed Doyle with heroin)

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• French
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• TheSweeney

[bloggaloggs]

Uh, am I hearing things? Or is Popeye's gunshot WAY DIFFERENT (longer, bassier, more nuanced) than it was originally? I know there was a 'restored' version of The French Connection (which the cinematographer was none to pleased with), but have they also re-done the sound FX?

[Banner1979]

@bloggaloggs Yep, they did. The first movie gunshot sounds were made more modern in keeping with current trends but the original gunshot sounds in the sequel remained as they were on DVD. I should know as I used to own French Connection II on video.

[ultrakool]

@bloggaloggs who cares? this film seems so dated now, unlike the godfather or bonnie and clyde, e.g. i mean, this film was highly over-rated. the only performance by gh that was noteworthy was buck barrow. all of the other hundreds? of his screen characters pale in comparison, imo

[Banner1979]

@ultrakool You should check out Harry Moseby in Night Moves. He was a far more sympathetic and thoughtful character than Popeye Doyle ever could be, but also not a man you would want to mess with either and he was also out of his depth. Harry Caul in The Conversation was another gripping character and GH was terrific as the FBI veteran in Mississipi Burning.

[92af]

French Connection is one of the best movies ever

[Banner1979]

@92af That and the sequel were two of the best police action thrillers to come out of the '70s. Jimmy Doyle and Harry Callahan were two influential Hollywood heroes, spawning the likes of John McClane and Martin Riggs.

[Banner1979]

@bloggaloggs That's true. What William Friedkin had set out to do was make a thriller that was very unlike what Hollywood had done previously. He wanted to examine the seamier, seedier and sleazier side to the Big Apple and portray the cops as the anti-heroes who could be as ruthless as the villains. French Connection II was good in that it was set in Marseilles, France, and the sleazy side of that city was exposed too.

[bloggaloggs]

@Banner1979  The French Connection is remarkable because it's a contemporary American action thriller in substance, but European avant-garde in style.

[Banner1979]

@g25inmfsj6 People call it an action movie, but like you said, it was more a thriller and was based on a true story. The car chase was very very good for its time and there were some other good pursuits, but you might like French Connection II more. It does sag in the 1st hour or so but gets even better after Doyle recovers from his forced addiction and seeks revenge on Charnier.

[Banner1979]

It also won Best Director (William Friedkin).

[Banner1979]

@g25inmfsj6 For a bad film, it certainly did very well. Winning Best Picture and Best Actor Oscars as well as a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Roy Scheider. This was a highly influential police thriller and nothing like it had ever been made before 1971. Popeye Doyle was the ultimate brutal no-holds-barred anti-hero extraordinaire.

[Banner1979]

@gmartin1985 I agree.  For the time, it must have been quite shocking, but that's the only way it was going to happen after what Popeye had been through. I read on wikipedia there were plans for French Connection 3 which would see Doyle back in NYC and maybe dealing with a relative of Charnier's out for revenge, but Hackman didn't want it. The script that was written was later turned into the Stallone film Nighthawks.