Cinema: Appointed Rounds

THE DROWNING POOL

Directed by STUART ROSENBERG

Screenplay by TRACY KEENAN WYNN, LORENZO SEMPLE JR. and WALTER HILL

Come to think about it—and there is plenty of time to do so in The Drowning Pool—the traditional private-eye format does not suit movies all that well. It demands a rigid structure as the detective pursues his investigation like a mailman on his route, moving from door to door, picking up a shred of information, depositing another, occasionally having his appointed rounds interrupted by some mayhem.

Heavy Acting. The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep got around...