The Dead Pool
Encyclopedia
The Dead Pool is a 1988 American action thriller film about the manipulation of a "dead pool
" game by a serial killer, whose efforts are foiled by a hardened detective. It is the fifth and final film in the Dirty Harry series
, set in San Francisco, California
and starring Clint Eastwood
as Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan. It co-stars Liam Neeson
, Jim Carrey
, and Patricia Clarkson
, each of whom went on to greater film fame. At 91 minutes, it is the shortest of the five Dirty Harry films. This is also Carrey's first non-comedy related movie.
), killed in his trailer outside a meatpacking plant during filming of a slasher film
directed by Peter Swan (Liam Neeson
).
Later, Dean Madison, Swan's executive producer, is shot and killed during a Chinatown restaurant stick-up. Harry and Quan see the holdup and rush to stop it; Harry manages to gun down all of the robbers inside the restaurant, except for one who manages to escape out the door but is subdued by Quan with his expert martial-arts skills. When they examine the dead producer's belongings, they discover a note in his pocket with Harry's name and the name of Johnny Squares on it. It turns out that the dead producer, and Swan are carrying out a "dead pool
" game in which participants try to predict celebrity deaths, either by natural causes or for those who work in dangerous professions. In a turn of events, another celebrity on Swan's list, movie critic Molly Fisher, is stabbed and killed in her condominium.
Callahan is asked to co-operate with the media (particularly reporter and later love interest Samantha Walker) to balance their interference with the investigation. Walker proposes to do an in-depth profile on Callahan for her news report, to make up for an incident earlier in the film where Harry broke Walker's camera to stop her crew from harassing Squares' girlfriend, while he wants to simply perform his job and stay out of the limelight. After dinner, they narrowly escape being killed by Janero's men, leading the reporter to reconsider the plight of police officers versus the public's right to know.
Callahan drives to the prison where Janero is serving his sentence. He promises a huge, chain-smoking quadruple murderer named Butcher Hicks a carton of cigarettes for his help in convincing Janero that if anything bad happens to Callahan, the vicious Butcher will pay Janero a visit. This results in Janero telling his men to stay away from Callahan while he is on duty.
Callahan resolves a situation where a man named Gus Wheeler, rumored to be responsible for the murders, tries to get on the TV news by dousing himself in gasoline and threatening to light himself on fire if he even sees a fire truck or hose. Ultimately, it turns out that Wheeler is just an attention-seeker desperate to appear on camera. Harry and Quan later interview Swan and manage to get the name of another suspect: Harlan Rook, a schizophrenic and deranged fan
of Swan who thinks his ideas and work have been stolen by Swan. Swan had gotten a restraining order
against Rook about a year before.
Rook next kills controversial talk show host Nolan Kennard, another person on the list, using a very innovative device - he runs a bomb hidden in a remote control car under the victim's car as he is backing out. As the radio control car runs under the car, Rook arms the explosive, and detonates it, blowing up the car and and killing the victim. Rook then slowly drives away. Rook's car bomb is undetected by Callahan at the crime scene, although he does find a wheel of the radio control car, but thinks nothing of it until later when he spots Rook attempting to eliminate them in the same way as they head towards a hospital to get Rook's file. Callahan and Quan are pursued in their unmarked car through San Francisco's hilly streets by not just another radio control car, but also by Rook, who is travelling in his full-size car. Eventually Callahan and Al Quan come to a dead end in an alleyway and the bomb explodes, nearly killing Quan, who survives thanks to his bulletproof vest and the fact that Callahan is able to reverse away a split second before the bomb exploded, mitigating the effects of the blast.
Rook, disguised as Swan, calls Walker at the television station and invites her to Swan's film studio for an interview, which is actually a trap. The police, meanwhile raid Rook's apartment and discover torn posters of Swan's films and large quantities of explosives.
Callahan hurries to Swan's studio, where Walker is held captive by Rook. Harry reluctantly surrenders his .44 Magnum revolver after Rook nearly slits her throat. Callahan lures him to a pier after a chase. Rook eventually runs out of ammunition, and Callahan uses this opportunity to shoot Rook with a harpoon
, impaling him. Callahan leaves with Walker while the police arrive at the scene.
The Dead Pool is the only Dirty Harry film in which Albert Popwell
does not appear. The 1980s rock band Guns N' Roses
makes a cameo appearance at the funeral of Johnny Squares, and one scene where Slash is shown firing the harpoon Harry will use at the end of the film.
squad car by a remote-controlled bomb assembled by Rook, disguised as a radio-controlled car. The "bomb" was in fact a highly modified Associated
RC10 competition buggy topped with an off-the-shelf 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
body from hobby accessory manufacturer Parma International. It was driven by world-champion radio control driver "Jammin'" Jay Halsey and was electrically powered. The sound effects of the "engine" were added in post production. This chase scene has many similarities with the famous chase in the Steve McQueen
film Bullitt
. Eastwood has said that the chase was his favorite part of the film.
by Guns N' Roses
appears as the theme song for Swan's movie, as used in a scene during filming where Johnny Squares is lip-synching but eventually his mouthing gets out-of-sync. All members of the band have credited cameos in the film. They also appear during filming of a "nightmare scene" at the docks, where Slash
(the band's guitarist) is the actor who fires the harpoon
gun through a window.
Dead pool
A dead pool, also known as a death pool, death watch, dead cert or ghoul pool, is a game of prediction which involves guessing when someone will die. Sometimes it is a bet where money is involved...
" game by a serial killer, whose efforts are foiled by a hardened detective. It is the fifth and final film in the Dirty Harry series
Dirty Harry (film series)
Dirty Harry is the name of a series of films and novels starring fictional San Francisco Police Department Homicide Division Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan, portrayed by Clint Eastwood...
, set in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and starring Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
as Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan. It co-stars Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
, Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
, and Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
, each of whom went on to greater film fame. At 91 minutes, it is the shortest of the five Dirty Harry films. This is also Carrey's first non-comedy related movie.
Plot
Fame finally catches up with Harry Callahan. His testimony against crime kingpin Lou Janero puts the mobster in prison and Callahan ends up on the cover of a San Francisco magazine as the city's ace crime fighter. Callahan is attacked by Janero's men at a turnoff near the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge while driving. He knocks down one with his car and shoots the remaining men dead. Callahan and his new Asian-American, martial arts-skilled partner Al Quan are then assigned to investigate the death of rock singer Johnny Squares (Jim CarreyJim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
), killed in his trailer outside a meatpacking plant during filming of a slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
directed by Peter Swan (Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
).
Later, Dean Madison, Swan's executive producer, is shot and killed during a Chinatown restaurant stick-up. Harry and Quan see the holdup and rush to stop it; Harry manages to gun down all of the robbers inside the restaurant, except for one who manages to escape out the door but is subdued by Quan with his expert martial-arts skills. When they examine the dead producer's belongings, they discover a note in his pocket with Harry's name and the name of Johnny Squares on it. It turns out that the dead producer, and Swan are carrying out a "dead pool
Dead pool
A dead pool, also known as a death pool, death watch, dead cert or ghoul pool, is a game of prediction which involves guessing when someone will die. Sometimes it is a bet where money is involved...
" game in which participants try to predict celebrity deaths, either by natural causes or for those who work in dangerous professions. In a turn of events, another celebrity on Swan's list, movie critic Molly Fisher, is stabbed and killed in her condominium.
Callahan is asked to co-operate with the media (particularly reporter and later love interest Samantha Walker) to balance their interference with the investigation. Walker proposes to do an in-depth profile on Callahan for her news report, to make up for an incident earlier in the film where Harry broke Walker's camera to stop her crew from harassing Squares' girlfriend, while he wants to simply perform his job and stay out of the limelight. After dinner, they narrowly escape being killed by Janero's men, leading the reporter to reconsider the plight of police officers versus the public's right to know.
Callahan drives to the prison where Janero is serving his sentence. He promises a huge, chain-smoking quadruple murderer named Butcher Hicks a carton of cigarettes for his help in convincing Janero that if anything bad happens to Callahan, the vicious Butcher will pay Janero a visit. This results in Janero telling his men to stay away from Callahan while he is on duty.
Callahan resolves a situation where a man named Gus Wheeler, rumored to be responsible for the murders, tries to get on the TV news by dousing himself in gasoline and threatening to light himself on fire if he even sees a fire truck or hose. Ultimately, it turns out that Wheeler is just an attention-seeker desperate to appear on camera. Harry and Quan later interview Swan and manage to get the name of another suspect: Harlan Rook, a schizophrenic and deranged fan
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
of Swan who thinks his ideas and work have been stolen by Swan. Swan had gotten a restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against Rook about a year before.
Rook next kills controversial talk show host Nolan Kennard, another person on the list, using a very innovative device - he runs a bomb hidden in a remote control car under the victim's car as he is backing out. As the radio control car runs under the car, Rook arms the explosive, and detonates it, blowing up the car and and killing the victim. Rook then slowly drives away. Rook's car bomb is undetected by Callahan at the crime scene, although he does find a wheel of the radio control car, but thinks nothing of it until later when he spots Rook attempting to eliminate them in the same way as they head towards a hospital to get Rook's file. Callahan and Quan are pursued in their unmarked car through San Francisco's hilly streets by not just another radio control car, but also by Rook, who is travelling in his full-size car. Eventually Callahan and Al Quan come to a dead end in an alleyway and the bomb explodes, nearly killing Quan, who survives thanks to his bulletproof vest and the fact that Callahan is able to reverse away a split second before the bomb exploded, mitigating the effects of the blast.
Rook, disguised as Swan, calls Walker at the television station and invites her to Swan's film studio for an interview, which is actually a trap. The police, meanwhile raid Rook's apartment and discover torn posters of Swan's films and large quantities of explosives.
Callahan hurries to Swan's studio, where Walker is held captive by Rook. Harry reluctantly surrenders his .44 Magnum revolver after Rook nearly slits her throat. Callahan lures him to a pier after a chase. Rook eventually runs out of ammunition, and Callahan uses this opportunity to shoot Rook with a harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
, impaling him. Callahan leaves with Walker while the police arrive at the scene.
Cast
- Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
as Inspector Harry Callahan - Patricia ClarksonPatricia ClarksonPatricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
as Samantha Walker - Liam NeesonLiam NeesonLiam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
as Peter Swan - Evan C. KimEvan C. KimEvan C. Kim is an American actor. He is best known for playing Loo in the 1977 comedy The Kentucky Fried Movie's "A Fistful of Yen" segment, the interpreter Cowboy in the 1978 Vietnam War film Go Tell the Spartans, the erudite caveman Nook in the cult 1981 comedy Caveman, Suki in the 1982 B movie...
as Inspector Al Quan - David HuntDavid Hunt (actor)David Hunt is a British actor who has worked in both the United Kingdom and the United States.His best known U.S. film role is Harlan Rook, the murderer in the 1988 action film The Dead Pool, the fifth installment in the Dirty Harry series...
as Harlan Rook - Michael Currie as Captain Donnelly
- Jim CarreyJim CarreyJames Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
as Johnny Squares (credited as James Carrey) - Anthony Charnota as Lou Janero
- Ronnie Claire EdwardsRonnie Claire Edwards-Biography:Edwards was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has been acting professionally since 1963 and is best known for the role of the bossy "Corabeth Walton Godsey", wife of storekeeper Ike Godsey played by Joe Conley, in the CBS television series The Waltons, created by Earl Hamner, Jr...
as Molly Fisher - Louis GiambalvoLouis GiambalvoLouis Giambalvo is an American actor, frequently seen on television in guest roles.His television credits include: Barney Miller, Hart to Hart, St...
as Gus Wheeler
The Dead Pool is the only Dirty Harry film in which Albert Popwell
Albert Popwell
Albert Popwell, , was an African American actor in television and films from the late 1960s. Born in New York City, Popwell started as a professional dancer before taking up a career in acting...
does not appear. The 1980s rock band Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
makes a cameo appearance at the funeral of Johnny Squares, and one scene where Slash is shown firing the harpoon Harry will use at the end of the film.
Production
Eastwood reacted to starring in another Dirty Harry film, "It's fun, once in a while, to have a character you can go back to. It's like revisiting an old friend you haven't seen for a long time. You figure "I'll go back and see how he feels about things now."" The Dead Pool was filmed between February and March 1988 in San Francisco.Car chase
Callahan is pursued through San Francisco's hilly streets in his unmarked Oldsmobile 98Oldsmobile 98
The Oldsmobile 98 was a full-size automobile and the flagship model of the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. The name first appeared in 1941 and was used again after American consumer automobile production resumed post-World War II...
squad car by a remote-controlled bomb assembled by Rook, disguised as a radio-controlled car. The "bomb" was in fact a highly modified Associated
Associated Electrics
The acronym TC5 redirects here. For the American rock band, see The Click Five.Associated Electrics, Incorporated of Lake Forest, California is one of the world's leading manufacturers of radio controlled cars, trucks and accessories...
RC10 competition buggy topped with an off-the-shelf 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
body from hobby accessory manufacturer Parma International. It was driven by world-champion radio control driver "Jammin'" Jay Halsey and was electrically powered. The sound effects of the "engine" were added in post production. This chase scene has many similarities with the famous chase in the Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
film Bullitt
Bullitt
Bullitt is a 1968 American police procedural film starring Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L....
. Eastwood has said that the chase was his favorite part of the film.
Box office performance
The Dead Pool was released in United States theaters in July 1988. In its opening weekend, the film took $9,071,330 in 1,988 theaters in the US, at an average of $4,954. In total in the US, the film made $37,903,295, making it almost the least profitable of the five films in the Dirty Harry franchise.Soundtrack
The song Welcome to the JungleWelcome to the Jungle
"Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on its 1987 debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction. It was released as the band's second single on October 3, 1987, and reached number #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number #24 on the UK Singles Chart...
by Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
appears as the theme song for Swan's movie, as used in a scene during filming where Johnny Squares is lip-synching but eventually his mouthing gets out-of-sync. All members of the band have credited cameos in the film. They also appear during filming of a "nightmare scene" at the docks, where Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
(the band's guitarist) is the actor who fires the harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
gun through a window.