The Paul Newman Collection : Harper / The Drowning Pool / The Left Handed Gun / The Mackintosh Man / Somebody Up There Likes Me (5 Disc Box Set) [DVD]

Five films starring Paul Newman. In 'Harper' (1966), Detective Lew Harper (Paul Newman) is hired by a millionaire's wife (Lauren Bacall) to find her missing husband. The LA private eye's investigations bring him into contact with a number of seedy characters, including a played-out actress (Shelley Winters) and a religious fanatic (Strother Martin) who has a sideline running a smuggling operation. Paul Newman reprised the role a decade later in 'The Drowning Pool' (1975). This time he is hired by an unfaithful wife (Joanne Woodward) who is being blackmailed for an infidelity she didn't actually commit. In the course of his investigations he crosses swords with a ruthless oil baron (Murray Hamilton) and has a close encounter with his employer's wayward daughter (Melanie Griffith). 'The Left Handed Gun' (1958) is a more-realistic-than-most account of the life of Billy the Kid, with Newman portraying Billy as a cowardly, unthinking killer. Billy is befriended by a rancher and when the man is murdered, Billy goes on a vengeful killing spree. His exploits are documented and mythologised by a Western pulp writer (Hurd Hadfield). The part of Billy the Kid was originally to go to James Dean, who died shortly before the project started. In 'The Mackintosh Man' (1973), Joseph Rearden (Newman) takes the fall for a robbery and ends up in jail. From there he escapes in the company of a convicted spy, and is taken to a remote manor at an unknown location where he is kept isolated. He overpowers his guard and flees, but nothing is quite what it seems in this drama of intrigue as Rearden pursues his quarry from Ireland to Malta. 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' (1956), directed by Robert Wise, sees Newman in an early performance as the fighter Rocky Granziano. Granziano is building a career in crime when he's finally caught and arrested. In jail he is undisciplined and always getting into trouble. When he gets out after many years he decides to start a new life - but is drafted into the army. However, they can't keep him and he goes AWOL. Rocky discovers boxing as a way of earning quick money, and is discovered as a new talent.

Actors: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Janet Leigh, Joanne Woodward, Lita Milan
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video