Manhattan Connexion

Just another cheap rip off TV film that has no direction, no acting ability and a horrible plot. I'm not even sure if this was supposed to be a sequel to the French Connection or not, but whatever it was, it reeked. 1/4 stars

In this failed spin-off of the lead character from the classic "French Connection" movies, Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (admirably portrayed by Ed O'Neill) investigates a drug overdose which turns out to be a murder, and finds himself caught in international affairs. This almost unheard of spin-off TV movie is too often overlooked; O'Neill's rendering of Popeye Doyle is easily comparable in depth as Gene Hackman's Oscar-winning performance. Flexes fine directing and script. O'Neill adds believable depth to the character, and the story is never overwrought. A worthy extension of the "French Connection"'s gritty form.

The French Connection with Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider is pure gold. Unfortunately, this TV pilot based on the original is not nearly as valuable.

The best part of this movie is seeing Ed O'Neil pre-Married With Children take in a role that Hackman had made his own. O'Neil is not as good as Hackman but then he doesn't have Friedkin directing him or Roy Scheider supporting him.

O'Neil is raw here but it would have been interesting to see what he could have done had he not gotten typecast (and wealthy) as Al Bundy. You have to give O'Neil credit for playing a character he knew would be unfavorably compared to to the original. He doesn't chew the scenes the way Hackman did but he does put his own, more laid-back take on the only character in movie history that asks about toe picking in Poughkeepsie.

O'Neil is the only reason to watch this movie since the plot and other actors are fairly pedestrian. It's not available on DVD which is good because I wouldn't recommend it as a purchase or a rental but you can catch it on Fox Movie channel once in a while. You'll always wonder what Al Bundy could have done had he carried a gun.