The Hustler is such a solid movie that in which i have trouble seeing any weakness in conventional cinema rating aspects ( Acting, screenplay, cinematography, music etc ) resulting in a near flawless film that is further enhanced by its amazing casting.What could have been a movie about merely playing pool has turned into a study on 'character' and capitalism. 'Fast' Eddie Felson ( Paul Newman ) seems to hopelessly want to be the best, and doesn't know when to quit even when ahead a significant amount, because he needs to have the satisfaction in his mind of beating Minnesota Fats ( Jackie Gleason ) until he quits. Charlie ( Myron McCormick ), his partner, symbolizes the sane and logical part of Eddie, that one should quit when ahead, and not continue to lose it all again. When Eddie eventually dismisses Charlie, his last hold on controlling his self destructive nature disappears, and it is only later when met with Bert Gordon ( George C. Scott ) that this 'hold' returns to Eddie. It is a great character study on how Eddie, the arrogant talented 'born loser' turns into the epitome of a 'winner' through a long series of relatable and emotional events that occur. Newman is simply incredible as usual, and he seems to understand his character like no other. His entire monologue about being called a born loser with Sarah, his fantastic facial acting, his desperate drunken mannerisms, it all sums up in that he IS basically Eddie Felson. Jackie Gleason is great as Minnesota Fats, and Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard. But apart from Newman the other true star has to be George C. Scott, whose character symbolizes greed as the true capitalist that seeks only money and doesn't seem to care about anything at all along the way. ( As Eddie says to him, 'You're dead inside' ) Scott's energetic acting, head up tilting mannerisms to show how much above everyone else he feels he is, fast manner of speaking and this arrogant kind of self control result in a phenomenal performance and everytime these actors come on the screen it results in fantastic scenes.The acting is further enhanced by a fantastic screenplay so the dialogue said by these great actors never go to waste. As stated before the dialogue between Eddie & Sarah is so key to understanding his character perfectly for the audience, and it delivered in such an absorbing way by Newman. The dialogue in the final scene, and generally any scene in which Newman and Scott speak to eachother. The cinematography is world class and captures the 60s feel of the film like no other, which is also due to the fantastic Jazz score by Kenyon Hopkins. The pool games themselves are set up great with a lot of innovative shots of the audience's reactions pictured over the pool shots themselves, and a lot of the shots were apparantly made by Gleason and Newman themselves, with the occasional intervention of Willie Mosconi ( Reportedly one of the greatest pool players of all time ). It all results in a masterpiece of character development, that seems to be near flawless and covers all the angles of the aspects that make a movie great.

The Hustler (1961) is a black and white Drama/Sports film about a rookie pool player who competes in a single-high stake match against a professional player with a long time winning streak. This movie is enjoyable regardless of whether or not you are a pool player. The acting is great and the mysterious music puts you on edge and makes you excited.I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys classic dramas. The cinematography, dialogue, and plot are all excellent and executed properly. In the scene where they first play pool together, the music starts off slowly at a low tempo and increases in tempo and volume as the game gets closer and closer to finishing.This film has it all- romance, a unique plot, gorgeous costumes, great music and amazing acting. Eddie Felson has the talent. He is an excellent pool player which is proved by how many games he wins. But, talent isn't all that it takes to make it big at pool. Does Eddie Felson have what it takes to be successful?

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.

I love this film. It was the second film I saw starring Paul Newman. "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956) was the first, which is the biopic of legendary middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano. My older brother used to work in a billiards hall, and was a very good straight pool player as well. In straight pool, the table is larger and the pockets are smaller; which makes it quite difficult. It also makes you a much better player on a standard size table. In addition, a very close friend of mine's father played Willie Mosconi in an exhibition game. Mosconi, who was one of the greatest pool players of all time, does the one trick shot in the film (known as a masse shot). Other than that, Jackie Gleason (who is a brilliant player himself) and Paul Newman did all their own shots in the film.