Hustle this one into your collection, quick!!!
The Hustler spotlights one of Paul Newman's finest performances in his portrayal of Fast Eddie Felson, an arrogant, amoral pool hustler who's determined to be the greatest pool player in the country by beating the legendary Minnesota Fats (played flawlessly by Jackie Gleason).
The film is a gritty, uncompromising character study and tragic love story that is set in the world of pool hustlers. Piper Laurie; as an alcoholic floozy who falls hard for Fast Eddie; and George C. Scott as the cold hearted manipulative gambler, Bert Gordon,-- contribute two additional flawless supporting performances. It was directed by the controversial Robert (All the King's Men) Rossen (he resisted but eventually named names during the infamous blacklist of the 50's).
The film focuses on the arrogant, unsympathetic exploits of a con man as he uses his charm, looks and pool playing skills to hustle enough money to challenge Minnesota Fats, only to be humiliated in defeat. As 'Fast Eddie' attempts to...
Great because it is the opposite of Color of Money
Many people who saw the slick and stylish Scorcese creation Color of Money didn't even realize that Eddie Felson already existed on the silver screen in The Hustler. What many people tell me when they find out and see The Hustler is that either they hated it or loved it. That's because while Color of Money is smooth, slick, smooth, and polished, The Hustler is raw, biting, and powerful and so by definition it is not for everyone. Color of Money is more about visual effects and music, which is classic Scorcese, though there's no real substance. Scorcese himself has said in interviews that movies like Goodfellas were close to his heart, but Color of Money was just a commercialized creation.
The Hustler, on the other hand, really grabs you. First off, as a pool player myself, let me tell you Tom Cruise can't play pool worth a damn, and that lack of authenticity is a glaring weakness to begin with. But just the fact that Newman and Gleason can play pool does not make The...
Do The Hustle: Newman Makes Fast Eddie Felson A Hollywood Legend
Let's face it, what can I possibly say about Robert Rossen's exquisitely hard-edged classic that hasn't been said before? "The Hustler" is an astounding and uncompromising drama that seems as fresh today as it did 45 years ago. So often we'll look back at the classics--and, as is appropriate, they might seem dated. Times change and that is reflected in cinema. "The Hustler," though, is one of the rare films that was so sophisticated, so intelligent, and so honestly raw--that its power has not been diminished by the years. Set in a very unglamorous world of pool halls and back rooms, "The Hustler" is a testosterone fueled excursion into the life and pursuits of one of Hollywood's most notorious anti-heroes--Fast Eddie Felson. Nominated for eight Oscars, this refreshingly adult film cemented Paul Newman's status as one of our greatest actors.
The story of "The Hustler" is surprisingly simplistic. A brash young pool shark sets his sights on defeating one of the game's...
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