The Drowning Pool

Almost a decade after Harper (1966), Paul Newman reprised the role of Los Angeles private detective Lew Harper in this 1975 film based on the titular novel by Ross Macdonald. Newman stars with his wife Joanne Woodward, the latter playing a former lover who married into old southern money and is now being blackmailed over an affair. Harper leaves the California sun for the Louisiana bayou, landing in a quagmire of corruption, sordid characters, and dirty dealings masterminded by a ruthless oil tycoon (Murray Hamilton) who uses thugs when legal means fail to get results. Young Melanie Griffith plays Woodward's promiscuous, scheming teenage daughter; Tony Franciosa is a police chief in the pocket of the oilman; and Linda Haynes stands out as a dim prostitute unlucky enough to be standing next to Harper when he's grabbed by the oilman's gunmen. The script is confusing and the direction by Stuart Rosenberg doesn’t make it any easier to follow, although there are some striking images from cinematographer Gordon Willis and a memorable climactic set piece (the drowning pool of the title). Otherwise, there is little suspense or nuance to this clumsy thriller (and Newman never played the character again). Bowing on Blu-ray with an archival featurette, this is not a necessary purchase. (S. Axmaker)