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The Drowning Pool
1975 109 min United States of America PG 16+
★6.3
Thriller, Mystery
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
🎭 Based on
«The Drowning Pool»
byRoss Macdonald
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
Harper is brought to Louisiana to investigate an attempted blackmail scheme. He soon finds out that it involves an old flame of his and her daughter. He eventually finds himself caught in a power struggle between the matriarch of the family and a greedy oil baron, who wants their property. Poor Harper! Things are not as straight-forward as they initially appeared.
Budget:
$2.7M
Worldwide:
$2.6M
Starring
Paul Newman
Actor
Joanne Woodward
Actor
Anthony Franciosa
Actor
Awards
1 nomination
Key opinion
The Drowning Pool serves as a gritty, mood-driven sequel that leans heavily on Paul Newman’s seasoned screen presence. While some critics praise its atmospheric connection to 70s noir, others find the narrative derivative and lacking the structural rigor of its predecessor.
| Acting | Paul Newman anchors the film with a compelling, age-appropriate portrayal of the iconic detective Harper. | |
| Cinematography | The New Orleans setting and Gordon Willis’s lens work effectively establish a bleak, dark, and swampy atmosphere. | |
| Screenplay | The film’s plot and tonal execution divide viewers: some find it a steady, classic detective mystery, while others dismiss it as vague and overly derivative. | |
| Direction | Critics are split on the direction: some appreciate the grit Stuart Rosenberg brings to the sequel, while others argue he lacks the necessary edge to maintain the genre's quality. |