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The Drowning Pool (1975)

Directed by:
Stuart Rosenberg

COUNTRY
USA

GENRE
Mystery/Thriller

NORWEGIAN TITLE
Siste stikk til Harper

RUNNING TIME
109 minutes

Produced by:
David Foster
Lawrence Truman
Written by (based on the novel by Ross Macdonald):
Tracy Keenan Wynn
Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Walter Hill


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Lew Harper Paul Newman
Iris Devereaux Joanne Woodward ½
James Devereaux Richard Derr -
Chief Broussard Anthony Franciosa ½
J. Hugh Kilbourne Murray Hamilton ½
Mavis Kilbourne Gail Strickland
Schuyler Devereaux Melanie Griffith ½
Gretchen Linda Haynes ½
Lieutenant Franks Richard Jaeckel -
Candy Paul Koslo -

Glo

Joe Canutt -
Pat Reavis Andrew Robinson ½

 

Review

Paul Newman reprised his role from Harper (1966), and it's very apparent that he liked this character. The Drowning Pool is a whodunit shrouded in family mystery, like a more straightforward sibling of Chinatown. Although it may never be quite as clever as the filmmakers let on, Newman's everyday persona gives the film a sympathetic, attractive quality. And the enticing Louisiana milieu feels dangerous and welcoming at the same time. The three credited screenwriters – Tracy Keenan Wynn, Walter Hill, and Lorenzo Semple Jr. – most likely pulled the story in different directions, so director Stuart Rosenberg deserves praise for guiding it all to a cohesive and rather enjoyable whole. The evocative musical score is by Michael Small (Klute, The Parallax View). There are fine, but arguably underutilised supporting roles by Andrew Robinson as the hunted Pat Reavis, and a young Melanie Griffith as a kittenesque seductress.

Copyright © 06.01.2025 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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