The Drowning Pool (1975)

Directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Murray Hamilton, Anthony Franciosa, Gail Strickland, Linda Haynes, Melanie Griffith, Richard Jaeckel, Andrew Robinson, Paul Koslo. [PG]

Sounds like a Dirty Harry sequel, but it’s actually Newman’s second go-round as Los Angeles private eye Lew Harper (previously seen in 1966’s Harper). He’s down in Bayou Country to help a former flame (Woodward), the victim of a blackmail scheme, which inevitably turns into a murder investigation and tangled web of malfeasance, suspects, and red herrings. Moves too slow for a good potboiler, and some scenes seem to go on forever. Newman’s in good form, but the filmmakers can’t seem to decide between making a tough, down-and-dirty thriller or a classy star vehicle, so it ends up in a kiddie pool of exploitation, a few splashes but no waves in sight. Script adaptation went through several hands, ultimately credited to Tracy Keenan Wynn, Lorenzo Semple Jr., and Walter Hill—more talent than cohesion.

51/100