elvircorhodzic THE HUSTLER is a sport drama about a bitter life and an unscrupulous competition. Film is based on Walter Tevis novel of the same name.A small-time pool hustler travels cross-country with his partner and earns, on fraud, some money. His attitude and his big mouth forcing him to challenge the legendary player "Minnesota Fats". A challenger and legend finally meet each other. Straight pool duel can begin. Their game attracts the attention of a professional gambler. The young challenger has, despite a noticeable talent, lost the match. He leaves his partner and he meets, at the local bus terminal, a girl, who is an alcoholic supported by her father, attends college part-time, and walks with a limp. They start a strange relationship. However, the pool hustler wants again to challenge a famous rival. His talent does not seem sufficient, he needs a strong character...A restless, irritable and evil protagonists are perfectly integrated into a dark atmosphere. Their greed for a fame and money has ruled out any form of love and nobility in this film. The plot is brisk and exciting. Every word or move is full of passion and has its price.Paul Newman as Eddie Felson is a passionate and violent pool hustler. The protagonist, who is, at one point, on the top of his life goal, and then drops down until he touches the bottom. He was intoxicated with his ambition. The loss of a loved person and a bitter life knowledge are his brutal sobering. Mr. Newman has offered a quite good performance. Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard is his girlfriend, who has lost in her unclear past. However, when Eddie comes into her life, she revives her pathetic reality. She is a dominant character in one part of the film, in which she emphasizes their tragic fate. George C. Scott as Bert Gordon is an antagonist on duty. He is an evil which trades with feelings and souls. His performance is very convincing. Jackie Gleason (Minnesota Fats) is a cool as a legendary player. However, he has become a prisoner of his talent and money.Maybe this movie is a strong projection of the real world, which is complemented with a cynical reviews and a tragic-ironic end. The protagonists have condemned themselves to a bitter taste of life.

Lee Eisenberg One of Paul Newman's all-time great roles was that of pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in "The Hustler". It's a seedy world of pool halls and high-stakes gambling. Eddie's aim to be the best leads to some self-destructive actions, but he perseveres. Fine support comes from Piper Laurie - later known as the fanatical mom in "Carrie" - as a woman who gets Eddie to realize his full potential amid his damaged lifestyle, as well as George C. Scott, Murray Hamilton (Mr. Robinson in "The Graduate" and the mayor in "Jaws") and Michael Constantine (the patriarch in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"). I guess that we in the 21st century will be less inclined to admire Jackie Gleason's performance, given what we now know about him,* but it's still an intense role.The movie is not just about pool and the specific effects that it has on Eddie. There's the issue of what it means to be human: a tragedy forces Eddie to attain self-awareness. Another thing is that director Robert Rossen used the movie as a sort of confession. Much like how he named names to HUAC, Eddie figuratively sells his soul for prestige. It was one of the first movies to take this sort of an unvarnished look at ego-affirmation. One of the many movies that represented the new direction that cinema was taking in the 1960s.All in all, a true masterpiece. Maybe not Newman's greatest ever, but one that any movie buff owes it to himself/herself to watch.*In the book "Riders on the Storm", John Densmore recalls a time when Jim Morrison got charged with indecency. Jackie Gleason testified against him, as did Anita Bryant.

somejava I hadn't seen this movie in a while. It's one, that, if having seen it before, you carefully choose when to see it again. Because both at once you get the pleasure of seeing some wonderful performances but...you must also be prepared to be left with a feeling of emptiness. This movie is a perfect example of how brilliant directing can convey every bit as much the same expressiveness WITHOUT gratuitous sex and violence. In black & white and seemingly with one hand tied behind its back in relation to the lack of taste (for the sake of broader box office appeal) that is often displayed in more contemporary movies -- this movie is bursting with feeling and emotion on a darker level of human existence. It automatically assumes that its audience is adult. So the directing concentrates on artistic subtlety. Which allows the actors to display their talents. Leaving it up to the viewer to color in between the lines using his or her imagination. And for me that's some of the true brilliance in these older movies. A child could watch this movie with no concern. And yet an adult can come away feeling deeply touched and disturbed. IMO, this movie cemented Paul Newman as a box office star. It will stand the test of time. Because as long as humankind exists we will be battling our inherent ills and weaknesses. I think this movie IS a masterpiece. I would advise watching it on a cold, rainy day. Immerse yourself.

Hitchcoc I waited about forty years to finally watch this film. It is a tale of both depravity and courage. Paul Newman is a pool hustler. He and his buddy go from pool hall to endless pool hall to scrounge up a few bucks. The thing is that Newman is a really gifted player and one day decides that he's had enough penny ante. The problem is that he is not wise to the ways of gamblers and the bigger hustlers. George C. Scott appears in one of his greatest roles. Piper Laurie is a spooky actress, but pulls off the alcoholic, depressed soul that hooks up with Newman and finds her ship may have sailed. Jackie Gleason really steals every scene. He is probably one of the greatest comic actors of all time, but has been relegated to that place where "TV" people go. As Minnesota Fats, he is formidable but part of the real world. The cinematography of the dark halls is also marvelous and the direction grabs us and holds us.