cult film freak: PAUL NEWMAN IN 'THE DROWNING POOL' WITH PAUL KOSLO

Written by James M. Tate / 12/11/2013 / No comments / andrew robinson , linda haynes , melanie griffith , murray hamilton , neo noir , paul koslo , paul newman , sequel , seventies

PAUL NEWMAN IN 'THE DROWNING POOL' WITH PAUL KOSLO

12/11/2013 | No comment

year: 1975 cast: Paul Newman, Melanie Griffith, Paul Koslo, Linda Haynes rating: ***1/2

Paul Newman’s private eye Lew Harper is a glutton for punishment.... Going from the big city to Louisiana, he’s got plenty to look forward to, including getting framed by the local police, beaten up by gangsters and crooked cops, and practically drowned inside a sanitarium wash room, which provides a nail-biting climax and gives the film's title a literal meaning.

The story has the standard pulpy, deliberately slow-paced rhythm and plenty of last names – if you don’t pay close attention, you might lose your place...

Paul Newman and a young Melanie Griffith

But even if the plot... of Harper’s ex girlfriend, Iris, a member of a sheltered family holed up in a plantation, being blackmailed by an monopolizing oil tycoon, gets too complicated... It’s all about the fact-gathering Harper never losing his cool or giving in to temptation...

Not an easy feat when teen harlot Schuyler, played by Melanie Griffith, a member of the targeted family Harper’s out to protect… and a red herring's lovely girlfriend Gretchen (Linda Haynes)… are full of steamy desire within the swampy heat of Louisiana, which becomes an important character in itself – the shrouded, mysterious vacancy contrasts with a character far more suited to the bustling mayhem of city life, where at least you can see 'em coming.

Linda Haynes The Drowning Pool Paul Newman and Linda Haynes

The Drowning Pool with Paul Newman and Linda Haynes The Drowning Pool

Linda Haynes with Paul Newman in THE DROWNING POOL

Paul Koslo literally fillsThe Drowning Pool

Paul Newman and a young Melanie Griffith in The Drowning Pool

Share This Post :

Tags : andrew robinson , linda haynes , melanie griffith , murray hamilton , neo noir , paul koslo , paul newman , sequel , seventies

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)THE BREAK 9)CALCULATED RISK 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)THE CROWDED SKY 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)JUNGLE STREET 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)FALLEN ANGEL 20)A PRIZE OF ARMS 21)SHARKS' TREASURE 22)THE ASPHALT JUNGLE 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE SYSTEM 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)SANDS OF THE KALAHARI 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)RIOT 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE FAVORITE ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 6)CHARLES BRONSON 7)BURT REYNOLDS 8)WILLIAM LUCAS 9)TOM COURTENAY 10)GENE HACKMAN DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)VAL GUEST 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)ORSON WELLES 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)SAM PECKINPAH 10)MICHAEL WINNER