Rating: 
Summary: Could this be Paul Newman's best,then you should see it.
Review: Even if pool is not your game,or perhaps your not a Paul Newman fan(huh?)this is a movie to watch or rent if your stuck on something to view.Paul Newman is electric as Fast Eddie Felson hustler extroirdinaire.Jackie Gleason plays the fictional Minnesota Fats.Yes fictional if you truly know your pool history.Fast Eddie travels from town to town hustling enough money on his way to Ames, Iowa to play the legendary Fatman.On his way Eddie learns about life,love and the evil that the pool world of the era has in store.A must watch. If you keep your eyes open you will see the one and only Willie Mosconi who worked behind the scenes(and also played a small role in the movie) as technical advisor.In the movie as Bert Gordon is George C. Scott." I'm a business man kid"This movie will be worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Newman's Own...
Review: It is a real shame that not one of the actors, nominated for their work in THE HUSTLER, took home the Oscar. Now, a true classic in every sense of the word, the film is still one of the coolest motion pictures ever made. Originally released in 1961, the film is flawless. "Fast" Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) is an arrogant pool hustler, who seems unbeatable, that is until he meets his match. When his desire and ambition for perfection lead him to challenge legendary pool king, "Minnesota Fats" (Jackie Gleason), things heat as Felson may have bitten off more than he can chew. He risks everything good in his life for a shot at glory. Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard, has great chemistry with Newman, and George C. Scott as Bert Gordon is tops too.Based on the book by Walter S. Tevis, the movie was directed by Robert Rossen, and shows off his real talent as a filmmaker. Desperate to put his "Ralph Kramden" character behind him, Gleason delivers a fine dramatic performance, that is sure to surprise you, if you only know him from "The Honeymooners". The pool room action is put together very well. The fact that the film was shot in black and white, only enhanced the action on screen, and makes it give off an almost cooler aura. It's great to finally see the movie on DVD. The special features are great. The most interesting of which, is the "picture-in picture" commentary, that explains how all of the trick shots were done in the film. This innovative feature is "way cool" The commentary track is pretty good too. However, I enjoyed the retrospective documentary, "the inside story", a bit more. It was also neat to see the vintage theatrical trailer. The DVD is Highly Recommended and is a must have in anyone's movie collection
Rating:
Summary: The Hustler is simply amazing.
Review: The Hustler is a 1961 20th Century Fox release about the game of billiards. It features an amazing cast; Paul Newman as Fast Eddie, Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats, Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard, and George C. Scott as Bert Gordon. Robert Rossen directs the 134-minute film, with outstanding cinematography, for which it won an academy award, but it was hard not to just watch the amazing acting displayed. The most interesting things I found in the movie are the lighting and the camera angles. The pool halls are just as most people picture them, dark, dingy and full of smoke. This is visible at the beginning of the movie when Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fats play their first game of pool. The players are lit when playing at the table, but when the rest of the hall is shown, it is dark with almost no lighting whatsoever. I find it interesting that the actors are kept in the shadows, even when delivering dialogue, until they lean to the table to shoot. I feel this is to emphasize the game played, and the players, but only when they are doing what is important to them. This also pushes the spectators almost out of view, to become the same as the viewers in the theatre and at home. This leads to a somewhat humorous scene. Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fats are playing a marathon set of games for high stakes. The favorite is Fats, but he is down about $10,000. While Fats is making a shot, an employee of the pool hall starts to raise the blinds, and he complains telling the employee to "cut that sunshine out", to accentuate the mood I feel the director was trying to set. After 25 hours of playing, Minnesota Fats wins back $13,000 dollars, leaving Eddie with only $200 in his pocket. The lighting changes when Eddie is not in the pool hall, and is almost blinding to the viewer. There are many scenes with Eddie and Sarah in her apartment, and it is usually very bright, but when the mood is depressing or dreary, it gets darker, helping to convey the mood displayed. When they travel out of the apartment, the mood is usually light, and the scenery also brightens showing the actors more dramatically. The camera angles used in the movie are very interesting to the viewer. There are many shots inside of doorways, usually featuring Fast Eddie. Those scenes are usually more personal parts of the movie, away from the pool halls. The actors are almost never featured in the center of the screen, but offset to the side. I feel this is to allow the lighting to enter more into the viewing experience. When scenes are shown featuring two actors, the camera takes a side view, making the space between them seems greater. The camera also often shifts in between characters, even when separated by just a table. This allows the spectator to concentrate more on the speaker, or to view emotion conveyed by the other actors. When the actors are playing pool, the camera often pans up to the character leaning down to the table. I feel this angle allows us to focus more on the action of shooting, and on facial expressions, instead of the actual shot. When at the pool hall, there are also many angled shots from above and over, allowing the background and lighting to display more prominently. I would rate this movie five stars. While I have not concentrated on the acting, it is tremendous. Paul Newman displays amazing emotion, and mix of desperation and cockiness of Fast Eddie conveys through almost every small thing he does. The story line is unique and builds the characters into people that the viewer can become very interested. However, I find that what the audience usually does not notice is what truly makes this movie great.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Classic
Review: "The Hustler" is a classic, and one of my favorite movies. It is the story of Fast Eddie Felson, who starts out a "boy" and becomes a man. Paul Newman plays Fast Eddie. He is a pool hustler, and a very good one. At the start of the movie he wants to play Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason), who is the best pool player in the country. Fats is polished and full of character; Fast Eddie is arrogant and overly confident. After they play, Fast Eddie meets Sarah Packard (Piper Laurie). They both are in need of someone, and the two begin to care for each other. Bert Gordon (George C. Scott) offers to be Fast Eddie's stake horse, and he puts up money and sets up matches for Fast Eddie to play. Bert sees Sarah (and Fast Eddie, for that matter) as someone to manipulate, but he underestimates her. Ultimately, their interaction leads Fast Eddie to redefine himself. The entire cast is fantastic. Paul Newman as Fast Eddie brings a great deal of depth and passion to his role. He believably transforms Fast Eddie to a mature man with poise and character. He showed similar passion in other movies, like "Somebody Up There Likes Me" and "Cool Hand Luke". George C. Scott, who is early in his career, plays Bert, a man who manipulates others to serve himself. His character is not likeable, but one respects the confidence he has in himself. Piper Laurie plays a wounded character with subtle effectiveness. Jackie Gleason is excellent as Minnesota Fats, a man who appears self-assured, with a commanding presence. "The Hustler" was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including: Best Actor (Paul Newman - his second nomination), Best Actress (Piper Laurie), Best Supporting Actor (Jackie Gleason), and Best Supporting Actor (George C. Scott), Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. It won two: Best Cinematography-Black and White (1961), Eugen Schüfftan; Best Art Direction/Set Decoration-Black and White (1961), Harry Horner (Art Direction), Gene Callahan (Set Decoration). It is a beautifully shot movie, and the direction is seamless and unhurried. The Hustler is timeless, and would be appreciated and praised by a first-time viewer today, even though it was made in 1961.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest American films ever made. MUST SEE!!!
Review: With or without the Oscar, this is one of the greatest American films ever made in any genre. George C. Scott refused to take part in the Oscar ceremonies when "The Hustler" was nominated, calling them "a self-serving orgy" if my memory serves me right. Perhaps that stand contributed to the movie not being recognized in its own time. Whatever the reason, this film shows you that recognition is unnecessary for true art. The cream always rises to the top. People may not realize that Paul Newman was an unknown when this movie was made. His youthful brashness and emotion laden performance show him as an actor beyond his years. One can never say too much about George C. Scott. He's old reliable, in this movie as in his others. He does an excellent job. He's just so good that we are numb to his mastery. Piper Laurie also turns in an amazing performance. Her acting is subtle but her method is steady. The real standout in this film is Jackie Gleason. He shows why he was called "The Great One." I personally feel that this movie shows him as the greatest method actor of his generation, and perhaps one of the greatest ever. But unbelievable acting is only one part of this gem. The cinematography is clear and artistic. The script is expertly written and the scenery couldn't be more authentic. This is the only pool movie I know of that you can enjoy as a pool player. The pool scenes are unbelievable. They used the greatest pool players of the day in shooting and it shows. The Color of Money is a nicely shot movie but there is not really a lot of pool in it. This is a pool movie that transcends pool. Please do yourself a favor and add this to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: A Breath-taking Cinematic Experience...
Review: A small-time pool hustler, Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) also called Fast-Eddie, is feeling that he is on his way up as he wants to take on the reputable Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). However, Eddie is young and boastful with poor self-control and after several drinks he loses a very large amount of money to Minnesota Fats in a lengthy pool game. Penniless and embarrassed Eddie runs off like a dog with his tail between his legs from his manager and friend. As Eddie leaves he meets Sarah (Piper Laurie) with whom he begins to form a relationship with. As Eddie then attempts to rebound from his financial set back he meets Bert Gordon, a ruthless and wealthy gambler. Gordon offers Eddie a tough deal, but it might be a new beginning for Eddie depending on what price he might have to pay in order to get back on his feet. Hustler is a remarkable film about self-discovery, greed, love, and billiards that captivates the audience through an intriguing story. The story's genuine feeling of how people struggle through difficulties is brought out by a terrific cast as well as cinematography that lends support to the emotions that the characters feel. In the end, Rossen creates a breath-taking cinematic experience.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best films ever made.
Review: This film has haunted me ever since I saw it (experienced it, really) for the first time in the mid-1960s. I was barely a teenager at that time (I'm 52 at this writing: 1-11-04), but despite my young years long ago, the film flooded my consciousness with unforgettable images and words of profound allegorical depth. The Hustler uses the game of pool as a visual metaphor to represent the "survival of the fittest" realities that we all must face every day in order to live and to thrive on this planet. Some of us play well. Some of us play only well enough to get by. Some of us cheat by preying on and attaching ourselves to those who do play well. And some of us fail to acquire (or simply lose) the necessary abilities to play well enough to survive. All of this is shown brilliantly in The Hustler. Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) is an artistic genius whose medium is the game of pool. He plays for the sheer joy of the play itself, making seemingly impossible and awe-inspiring shots that transcend the cold and calculated shots of those who, as Eddie puts it, "play it safe". Eddie has no respect for "playing it safe" because to him such an approach to play violates the aesthetic that he seeks. Unfortunately, his need for the aesthetic also blinds him to the realities of human frailty. Enter Sarah Packard (Piper Laurie in an extremely moving and unforgettable performance). Sarah, an extremely intelligent, emotionally wounded, and poignantly sensitive woman - also an alcoholic - falls in love with Eddie. What Eddie doesn't realize until it's too late is that he loves her, too. Eddie in his self-absorption is also blind to the psychological predators who connect themselves to the game of pool for the sole purpose of making huge sums of money. Eddie falls victim to such a predator named Burt Gordon (George C. Scott). Their relationship transports both of them (along with Sarah) through a journey that ends in the anguish of tragedy, but also in the triumph of redemption - albeit burdened with contrition and heartbreak - for Eddie. Of particular importance is the character Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). He is the crucible through whom Eddie must pass in order to attain his final and decisive victory. It is, however, a victory that turns out to be much more complex and important than the one Eddie sought at the beginning of his quest to outplay Minnesota Fats. The final scene of the film shows Eddie attaining this victory. It is an anguished rite of passage in which Eddie is born into the full humanity of his life. Paul Newman as Eddie portrays this rite of passage brilliantly. It sums up better than any film I've ever seen the absolute essentials of personhood that a man must have if he is to earn the honor of becoming a man: Integrity, empathy, compassion, good will, respect for others and himself, the confidence attained from deep introspection and honest self-examination, and finally the absolute refusal to sell his dignity to anyone for any amount of money even if that means risking his own death in order to attain that end. Immeasurably strengthened by the power of his great love for Sarah (whose suicide he blames largely on himself), Eddie fearlessly does risk his own death by refusing to sell his soul to the man who would own him (Burt Gordon). But Burt, like the devil he is, realizes that when a man is ready to die for his dignity and for those he loves, that man - without a doubt - is free. He can't be bought and is thus useless to those who play, as Burt put it, "for money and for glory" alone. Burt wisely lets go of Eddie because he realizes that Eddie is now completely his own man - no longer capable of being owned. What greater attainment above the personal freedom bestowed by integrity could there ever be in this life for a man or woman? None. None at all. And that in the end is what Eddie alone walks away with. Finally, listen astutely to the brilliant musical score composed for The Hustler by the great film composer, Kenyon Hopkins. Some of the finest jazz music on film played by musicians like the great alto saxophonist, Phil Woods and the ever-inspiring bassist, Milton Hilton (among many others) brings a tremendous depth of musical intensity and emotional power to the film. Listen to the last altissimo register saxophone note accompanied only by a plaintive guitar chord as the screen fades to black. It'll haunt you in your dreams! What a film! Bravo forever to everyone who brought The Hustler into being!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of the best
Review: Jackie Gleason usually plays Jackie Gleason, but he soars far above his own image to become the character he plays in The Hustler, Minnesota Fats, and it's probably the performance of his lifetime. Newman plays Fast Eddie, a swaggering newcomer to the poolroom hustling game. After losing everything (money, status, self-esteem), he meets a woman also down on her luck and begins to rise again - but whap! He comes under the influence of a ruthless promoter who heartlessly uses Fast Eddie to his own ends.
A beautiful character study of a film The Hustler elicited stellar performances from everyone in the cast. Watch this first, and then the next night, watch The Color of Money, which is like a sequel in which Tom Cruise is the upstart and Newman is the older wiser father figure.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent movie, somehow disappointing DVD
Review: A very impressive movie with great characterizations and wonderful performances. Highly recommended. The DVD:
Picture and sound are perfect. The menu is nicely done, with animated stills from the movie. The comments by Mike Massey and the display of shots from the film are somewhat interesting but you can't really call it an explanation of the shots. Various camera perspectives or slow motion would have been more helpful. The trailers are interesting, the picture gallery is very very short. The featurette gives some insights, but doesn't go very deep. Now the main criticism, the (as it says on the box) "Various audio commentaries": You can't do audio commentaries worse. An interviewer asks one of the commentators a question, eg What was your impression of Robert Rossen? or How was it working with ...? After the question has been answered by that person, the next one is asked the same question. This becomes boring pretty fast, especially because some of the answers are not worth to listen to. Stefan Gierasch, Richard Schickel and Jeff Young give only short statements, making you wonder why they're there anyway. Carol Rossen tells some interesting stories, but you get the impression she has a very subjective point of view that doesn't tell everything. Ulu Grosbard delivers a lot of informations. Paul Newman is the biggest disappointment, because he is rarely asked and all in all says about 10 sentences. This is beaten by Dede Allen, the editor, who most of the time ignores the questions and starts to tell all kinds of stories about herself and her experiences in the movie and editing business. This is definitely the best and most interesting part of the commentary, if you're interested in insider stories about movie making and editing. The bad thing about the commentary is that it never relates to the movie which is running in the background. The commentators don't commentate because they don't see the film. They're simply answering questions, which definitely is not the purpose of such a commentary. You have to ask yourself if complete interviews with the persons would not have been better (since they're obviously done as interviews and are also part of comments in the featurette). In the end you get to know some facts about the movie, basically nothing about Robert Rossen and a lot about Dede Allen. This could have been really better.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Lesson of THE HUSTLER: Adapt or Die
Review: By the time Paul Newman played Fast Eddie Felson in THE HUSTLER, he had already established himself as Hollywood's most enduring icon of the anti-establishment rebel. It was almost a given that director Robert Rossen would tap him for the lead role based on the novel by Walter Tevis. For any male who has spent much of a misspent life in a pool hall, the look and feel of the felt table ambiance rings true. In addition to a crackling good story of a young man wishing to unseat the local champ, there is a running subtext of how some people recognize their limitations and can pay a heavy price to overcome them. Newman invests his Felson persona with alternating crescendos of charm, punk-alley rage, and grittiness. Felson and his partner Charley (Myron McCormick) hustle pool players for chump change. A few hundred here, a few bucks there, and Charley is satisfied. But not Eddie. Although no one on screen has told him, "You're good, real good, but not so good as The Fat Man," Felson makes it clear that his ego requires that he himself must be the best. It is this drive for a supremacy that Steve McQueen would later follow in THE CINCINATTI KID that introduces the theme that to be the best requires more than raw talent at pool. Fast Eddie has the talent, but in his drive to be the top, he sends out mixed signals that he has the discipline too. Minnesota Fats, the long-reigning champion, has plenty of both. Jackie Gleason as Fats is exactly right as the champion who knows that even for such a winner as himself, he still understands the power politics of who pushes the buttons to stage manage each bout for felt table supremacy. The power behind Fats' throne is Bert Gordon, a gambling entrepeneur who rigs each contest so that for him it is not gambling at all. George Scott as Gordon knows every player who can help or hurt him. Regardless of the outcome of any match, he will always take his cut. Many of the finest scenes of THE HUSTLER have nothing to do with pool, although nearly all of them occur in the dimly lit grunge of seedy pool halls. These scenes examine an inverted father-son clash of egos with Gordon as the vicious sadist father who seeks to browbeat his wayward son and Fats as the sympathetic yet lethal opponent who both understands the demons that drives Felson and exudes emotional support at crucial moments. And then there is Sarah Packard, an alcoholic student/writer who sees in Felson the deeply buried winner that she is sure is there. Piper Laurie as Sarah is perhaps the most complex of the trio who impact on Felson. She nurtures him through his and her own crises, all the while knowing that for him to be the winner he can be, she must pay the price that will validate in his own ideas the belief that he is not the loser that Bert Gordon often accuses him of being. THE HUSTLER is probably one of the best two or three films of the sixties in that it explores what it is like to reach for that which may be beyond one's grasp. The interplay between those who seek to erode Felson's confidence and those who seek to enhance it suggest that the ability to adapt to changing psychological environments is the key for success. The price as he learns, is that others may have to pay that price for him. THE HUSTLER emphasizes this point better than any other film of that decade--or any for that matter.
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