An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.
- Won 2 Oscars
- 13 wins & 21 nominations total
- Turk
- (as Cliff Pellow)
- Old Doctor
- (uncredited)
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
- Waiter at Parisien Restaurant
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPaul Newman and Jackie Gleason established a friendship on the set. At one point, Newman got a little cocky about his newfound pool skills and challenged the much more experienced Gleason to a $50 bet on a game. Newman broke, then it was Gleason's turn. He knocked all 15 balls in and Newman never got another shot. Gleason recalled that the next day Newman paid him off with 5000 pennies.
- GoofsDuring the last pool match, second game, Minnesota Fats has taken his jacket off, loosened his tie and unbuttoned his vest, but one subsequent shot shows him with his tie tightened and wearing a buttoned vest and jacket.
- Quotes
[Fast Eddie is bothered because Bert called him a born loser]
Fast Eddie: Cause, ya see, twice, Sarah... once at Ames with Minnesota Fats and then again at Arthur's, in that cheap, crummy pool room, now why'd I do it, Sarah? Why'd I do it? I coulda beat that guy, coulda beat 'im cold, he never woulda known. But I just hadda show 'im. Just hadda show those creeps and those punks what the game is like when it's great, when it's REALLY great. You know, like anything can be great, anything can be great. I don't care, BRICKLAYING can be great, if a guy knows. If he knows what he's doing and why and if he can make it come off. When I'm goin', I mean, when I'm REALLY goin' I feel like a... like a jockey must feel. He's sittin' on his horse, he's got all that speed and that power underneath him... he's comin' into the stretch, the pressure's on 'im, and he KNOWS... just feels... when to let it go and how much. Cause he's got everything workin' for 'im: timing, touch. It's a great feeling, boy, it's a real great feeling when you're right and you KNOW you're right. It's like all of a sudden I got oil in my arm. The pool cue's part of me. You know, it's uh - pool cue, it's got nerves in it. It's a piece of wood, it's got nerves in it. Feel the roll of those balls, you don't have to look, you just KNOW. You make shots that nobody's ever made before. I can play that game the way... NOBODY'S ever played it before.
Sarah Packard: You're not a loser, Eddie, you're a winner. Some men never get to feel that way about anything.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Portrait of an Actor (1971)
**** (out of 4)
'Fast' Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) shows up to play the legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) in a game of pool and soon the hotshot realizes that there's more to winning than just talent. After some time off the hustler winds up with a woman (Piper Laurie) who suffers from alcohol abuse but even worse is when he teams up with a gambler (George C. Scott).
Robert Rossen's THE HUSTLER is without question one of the greatest films of its type. Most people are connected to it because of its story of a hustler and the gambling aspect but there are some of the greatest performances you're ever going to see on display here as well as a pretty depressing look at losers. Throughout the movie Felson is constantly called a loser, which is a term that fits the majority of the characters in this rather grim, dark and depressing film.
For me the greatest thing here are the performances with Newman easily leading the way. It's easy to see why this is the film that turned Newman into a superstar. Up until this point he had played a fair share of troubled rebels but everything in him just came together for this role. He's certainly very believable as this young guy who can't seem to stay out of his own way when it comes to trouble. This is a very troubled character and the actor perfectly nails every aspect of it. Gleason will always be known as a comedic actor but he could nail drama when he needed and this is the perfect example. It certainly doesn't hurt that the two actors were also great pool players and this brings a real nature to the film.
Laurie is rather heart-breaking in her role as the drunk and then you've got Scott playing one of the biggest snakes in film history. There's no question that his Burt character is one of the great villains in film history. Myron McCormick is excellent in his small role and then you've got a young Murray Hamilton. THE HUSTLER also benefits from some wonderful cinematography that perfectly captures this pool world. I mean, has there ever been a better example of why B&W is so great? Add in the terrific score and you've really got something special.
THE HUSTLER is a classic film that constantly gets better each time you view it.
- Michael_Elliott
- Jan 15, 2016
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $2,125,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 14 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1