The Hustler (1961)

Paul Newman shines as cocky poolroom hustler "Fast" Eddie Felson in Robert Rossen's atmospheric adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel. Newman's Felson is a swaggering pool shark punk who takes on the king of the poolroom, Minnesota Fats (a cool, assured Jackie Gleason in his most understated performance). After losing big and crashing into a void of self-pity, Eddie meets down-and-out Sarah (Piper Laurie in a delicate performance), an alcoholic blue blood who's dropped into Eddie's world of dingy bars and seedy poolrooms. Eddie regains his confidence and attracts the attention of a shifty, calculating promoter, Bert Gordon (George C. Scott at his most heartless), who offers to bring Eddie into the big money--but at what cost? Rossen brings his film to life with the easy pace of a pool game, giving his actors room to explore their characters and develop into a razor-sharp ensemble. Eugen Schüfftan earned an Academy Award for his shadowing black-and-white cinematography, as did art directors Harry Horner and Gene Callahan for their deceivingly simple set designs. Even in the daylight this film seems to be smothered by night, lit by the dim glow of a bar lamp or the overhead glare of a pool-table light, an appropriate environment for this tale of one man's struggle with his soul and his self-esteem. Newman returned as an older, wiser, cagier Felson 25 years later in Martin Scorsese's Color of Money. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com essential video

As a film it's rather uneven; but the flawless performances more than make up for that...

Paul Newman was a brilliant actor, but even more so than that, he was a brilliant co-star. I noticed this a while back when watching `Hud' (one of his greatest movies) and how he seemed to draw out the best in everyone on screen. This is especially noticeable when considering his female co-stars. Patricia Neal is the best thing about `Hud', hands down. The same can be said for Elizabeth Taylor in `Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (another flawless movie). This observation was proved true yet again when watching `The Hustler' and noticing how the impeccably talented Piper Laurie just walked away with every scene. Her delicate and frayed portrayal of Eddie Felson's doomed love is so magnetic, so genuine and just utterly brilliant. Newman's undeniable charm and swagger seems to seep into the hearts of his female co-stars, filling them with a life needed to deliver iconic and unforgettable performances.

Neal, Taylor and Laurie should all be considered at the top of any `Greatest Performances of All Time' list for their respective performances.

That said, while I absolutely adore everything about `Hud' and `Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', I don't think I can say the same for `The Hustler'. When all is said and done, it is a very good movie, but there were times when it just didn't come together for me as tightly and as effectively as I had hoped for, or even expected. It's hard to really pinpoint the culprit because the two suspects I've singled out (Director Robert Rossen and Screenwriter's Rossen and Sidney Carroll) both deliver some things I've very fond of as well. In fact, I'm nearly in agreement with their respective Oscar nominations, but parts of both also contain detractors.

My main issues with this film all fall within the first quarter of the film. It drags out far too long and offers little excitement, even though they are obviously trying to build some tension. In fact, I wanted to turn the movie off about twenty minutes in, fearing that absolutely nothing could turn this film around for me. Then the tedious pool scenes ended and Piper Laurie waltzed into the film and everything changed, drastically. It's within those first twenty or so minutes that most all my complaints lay. The scenes are too long and too dark. They don't hold your interest like you'd expect them to. It's a tricky thing working with a sport that is rather slow and uneventful. I can't help but call to mind the precision and delicacy that was used in `Casino Royale' though, making a game of poker seem rather exciting. It can be done well, but here it isn't. In fact, I didn't find any of the pool scenes to be engaging.

Go figure.

Strip the film of those overly long and overly calculated scenes and you have a near perfect character study thriving with some of the most engaging and beautifully layered performances ever put to film (Newman was a god, really). The relationships that build between hustler `Fast' Eddie Felson, his alcoholic lover Sarah Packford and his promoter Bert Gordon are all flawlessly crafted and entirely absorbing. Newman inserts the right amount of over-confidence and insecurities to create a genuinely conflicted individual. George C. Scott is as heartless as they come, and his sheer severity is commanding to say the least. Jackie Gleason has a very nice turn here as Minnesota Fats, the pool champion Felson desires to dethrone. He has such a cool delivery (a far cry the mockery he made of `Smokey and the Bandit') that seems to just slide all over the place. The real star here though is none other than Piper Laurie (I think I made that clear already). Her broken and fragile portrayal of Sarah is just heartbreaking. She truly understands how to seep inside her characters struggles and creates the films moral code despite her characters own moral lapses.

I recommend this film as a beautiful ensemble piece that transcends many other ensembles in actually delivering a slew of brilliantly crafted performances. As a complete film is it very good but not great. It falls apart in certain areas, dragging and bogging itself down. Long strides of poolroom banter and play take away from the film instead of add to it, but when the lights come on and the characters are forced to interact without the distraction of a pool stick they truly come alive, and so does the film. I'd give it a B-, but the acting is nothing short of an A+. December 8, 2008

What's not to like?

I got this for our "movie night" group the week after Newman's death in lieu of a Woody Allen pick that was originnaly on the schedule. It was very fitting; and we had all forgotten what a great film this really is.

Gleason is superb (even with the limited screen time), George C. Scott very much holds the plot together, and Newman plays the pathetic hero so very well.

"Let's play pool, Fat Man..." November 29, 2008

Atmospheric Early 60s

Dramatic, sometimes downright melodramatic. There's something kind of James Deanish in Newman's character - naive, brash, arrogant - old school 50s tough guy. Shot in black and white, it still feels distinctly early 60s, and comes off as a modern tragedy (if not melodrama). You can feel elements of 50s drama merging with the rough-hewn existentialism of the early 60s, though it's a drama in every sense of the word - nothing twilight zone about this one, except the way characters seem to resemble Rod Serling a little bit in the way they talk. I didn't realize until the end, Paul Newman's financial banker from the underworld is played by a youthful George C Scott, who does a great job. Paul himself (as mentioned) sometimes feels a bit over the top, as does his lady love (an interesting character played by Piper Laurie), but in spite of that, the story remains interesting. If nothing else, it has a lot of atmosphere, partially due to being in black and white (the version I saw was in black and white). I tend to like movies that I've seen from this time period. There's a feeling of change in the air, an attempt at poetic realism, though with the 'cool' so thick you can cut it with a knife, it may fall short of realistic for a modern audience (of course this was 45 years ago). But on the poetic side, it doesn't fall short. November 20, 2008

Great movie!

When Newman died I decided to buy this movie. It shows him at his prime. The Hustler is a movie about redemption in 1961 America.
The movie's pacing is different from the standard movie. This is a classic. It's fun to revisit the 50's and early 60's to see the time and values put forth by Hollywood. This is a pre-Beatle, pre-boomer movie but one that shaped boomer genaeration. Seldom do we see redeeming movies anymore. It was such an important theme back then. I guess we have forgotten our classic in now fast-paced world of grab the most stuff. This movie is a trip back to a different time. Outstanding cinematography. November 2, 2008

Classic Newman!

I purchased "The Hustler" in tribute to the passing of iconic Paul Newman. The movie represents my favorite Newman performance. The package is wonderful with an extra disc of Extras. A must-have movie for true fans of Paul Newman. October 31, 2008

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