Lady in Cement

Plodding sequel to Tony Rome, with Sinatra's indomitable private eye fighting his way through an unexciting collection of freaks, perverts and villains. Carbon-copy stuff, with the Florida setting and characterisation of Tony Rome recalling John D Macdonald's Travis McGee, Dan Blocker playing a variation on Chandler's Moose Malloy, and a leering attitude to sex and violence not improved by bouts of gay-baiting. A good cast and loose-limbed direction from Douglas help things out.