The Drowning Pool (released on July 10, 1975) marks the stylish return of Paul Newman to the role of Lew Harper, the wisecracking private investigator he first originated in 1966’s Harper. Shifting the action from the sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles to the humid, moss-draped bayous of Louisiana, the film serves as a moody, atmospheric sequel that leans into the “Southern Gothic” aesthetic.
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg – who previously collaborated with Newman on Cool Hand Luke – the movie is a sophisticated detective story that values character nuance and local color over simple action tropes.
Lew Harper (Newman) is summoned to New Orleans by an old flame, Iris Devereaux (Joanne Woodward), a wealthy woman living in a crumbling plantation house.
Iris is being blackmailed with an anonymous letter threatening to expose an extramarital affair, and she needs Harper’s world-weary expertise to make the problem go away.
However, what begins as a routine blackmail case quickly spirals into a lethal conspiracy involving oil rights, family inheritance, and long-buried secrets.
Harper finds himself navigating a treacherous social landscape populated by Iris’s precocious and rebellious teenage daughter, Schuyler (Melanie Griffith), and a ruthless local oil tycoon named Kilbourne (Anthony Franciosa), who wants to seize the Devereaux land.
The investigation is further complicated by the local law enforcement, including the cynical Lieutenant Broussard (Richard Jaeckel), and a series of suspicious deaths that suggest someone is willing to kill to keep the past submerged.
As Harper digs deeper, he encounters a variety of colorful and dangerous figures, including a high-strung chauffeur played by Andrew Robinson and the enigmatic Mavis Kilbourne (Gail Strickland).
The mystery reaches its literal and figurative boiling point in a harrowing sequence at a hydrotherapy clinic, where Harper must escape a literal drowning pool to uncover the truth about who is pulling the strings in the bayou.
Paul Newman in The Drowning Pool (Photo/Warner Bros.)
Reception for The Drowning Pool
The Drowning Pool grossed $8 million worldwide in its theatrical run.
Roger Ebert gave The Drowning Pool two and a half stars in his review.
Legacy
The Drowning Pool is defined by the real-life chemistry of its leads and its contribution to the 1970s revival of the “hard-boiled” detective genre.
The movie is also notable for featuring a very young Griffith in a breakout role that hinted at the stardom she would achieve in the following decade.
While it was often compared to the iconic Chinatown, The Drowning Pool has earned its own lasting reputation for its sharp dialogue and its more relaxed, character-driven pace.
The Drowning Pool remains a must-watch for fans of the “Coolest Man in Hollywood” at the height of his dramatic powers.
