The body of teenager Gloria Hollinger is found dead on a Los Angeles beach, and Lt. Phil Gaines is in charge of the investigation. Gaines learns that the girl, a stripper and prostitute, committed suicide, but he ignores the connection between her and a powerful mob lawyer, Leo Sellers. Hollinger's father, however, is not satisfied with Gaines's results, and attempts to investigate the case on his own.
Acting
Reynolds' surprisingly vulnerable turn; Deneuve's magnetic stillness.
Direction
Aldrich's elegiac framing of a corrupt, dying Hollywood.
Cinematography
Grimy beach noir meets neon-drenched mansion interiors.
Director
Robert Aldrich
Burt Reynolds
Lt. Phil Gaines
Catherine Deneuve
Nicole Britton
Ben Johnson
Marty Hollinger
Paul Winfield
Louis Belgrave
Eileen Brennan
Paula Hollinger
Eddie Albert
Leo Sellers
Ernest Borgnine
Santuro
Catherine Bach
Peggy Summers
Jack Carter
Herbie Dalitz
James Hampton
Bus Driver
Colleen Brennan
Gloria Hollinger
Chuck Hayward
Morgue Attendant
Peter Brandon
Minister
David Spielberg
Jerry Bellamy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Aldrich made this between The Longest Yard and The Choirboys, deliberately pivoting to melancholy noir as his commercial star faded.
The film mirrors 70s LA corruption scandals; Gaines' paralysis reflects post-Watergate institutional distrust.
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