Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- witty
- cynical
- tense
- action movie night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film entertaining for its violent thrills and tough wit but underwhelming as the uninspired final entry in the series.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The anonymous dead pool identifies public figures as future targets and eventually places Harry Callahan in danger.
Harry's blunt attitude and dry exchanges provide comic relief amid murders and shootouts.
The suspect Peter Swan is a British horror-film director, while the murder game exploits celebrity publicity and media attention.
Harry dislikes publicity, yet his notoriety and the media-facing celebrity list make visibility central to the case.
Films like The Dead Pool, and why
Dirty Harry
shares a hard-boiled police protagonist, urban crime investigation, blunt humor, and violent thriller action
The Enforcer
shares an aging law-enforcement hero, grim crime plotting, tough wit, and escalating gunplay
Brannigan
shares a police detective confronting a celebrity-targeting killer through a tense urban investigation
Movie Details
- Director
- Buddy Van Horn
- Release Date
- 1988-07-13
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (987)
Cast
- Clint Eastwood
- Patricia Clarkson
- Liam Neeson
- Evan C. Kim
- Jim Carrey
- David Hunt
- Michael Currie
- Ronnie Claire Edwards
- Michael Goodwin
- Darwin Gillett
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Dead Pool about?
- Inspector Harry Callahan hunts a killer who turns celebrity deaths into a macabre betting game while his own name rises toward the top of the list.
- What is The Dead Pool like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dead Pool as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Dead Pool violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Dead Pool as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Dead Pool?
- Critics broadly found the film entertaining for its violent thrills and tough wit but underwhelming as the uninspired final entry in the series.
- Which films are like The Dead Pool?
- Films with a similar feel include Dirty Harry, The Enforcer, and Brannigan.
- How long is The Dead Pool?
- The Dead Pool runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Dead Pool?
- In United States, The Dead Pool is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
