The name Stuart Rosenberg will never be forgotten by a certain breed of film lover. To others, he may never gain any kind of a foothold at all. Rosenberg was a solid craftsman of sturdy dramatic work but he was also a crucial crafter of some of the most important parts of Paul Newman’s legend. He directed him in “Cool Hand Luke,” the ’60s answer to “Rebel Without a Cause.” But he’ll always most importantly be the director of the first movie of the end of Paul Newman’s youth.
A sequel to Newman’s early detective movie “Harper” (and a quasi-sequel to “Cool Hand Luke,” with its sweltering summer setting and collection of country-fried adversaries), “The Drowning Pool” wasn’t a movie for which many were clamoring. But to me, it’s an unmissable Newman hang. As the air tries to strangle us, stay in with this sunburnt country noir tonight.
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