Rating: 
Summary: DEPRESSING
Review: Hopelessly grandiose, Ed Felson heads east with a well heeled stooge. Hoping to embarass reigning pool champ Minnesota Fats, and yes, take his $$, they hustle the poor, the naive, and the handicapped. Once in NY, Eddie gets his shot...and blow it. Enter Burt Gordon ("I like the action"), who agrees to back Eddie in bigger and better things. Eddie meets a gorgeous waif who haunts the nearby bus station. She loves him. In Eddie she sees passion, dedication....things she herself lacks. Their tumultuous union ends as sadly as it began. Eddie realizes that he inflicted these tragedies by being a loser. He succeeds in undoing it, but its all for naught as the story ends with a whimper..like it should. Probably one of the tn best American films ever made. But there's more: the powerhouse cast is awesome. Comedian Jackie Gleason puts forth an incredible portrayal of the loathesome Minnesota Fats. Gleason adds humanity to a character of mythic proportion. A wonderous and seemingly knowing study. Piper Laurie's portrayal of the terminally adolescent drunk with the high IQ and romantic perceptiveness is gripping. Her death seems wrong. George C. Scott's rendition of the Devil is, ofcourse, right on. What a man! Murray Hamilton's turn as a loser hoping for that one last break is sad and convincing. Newman's "Fast Eddie" is easily beleivable. In fact, he seems to regale in the part. As if it were tailor-made for him. The supporting cast are just as good. Sometimes even better. Jake LaMotta should've been an actor. The cinematography is awesome. They must've had the cameras on railroad tracks. Actually, I know they did. There is a scene in this film that is magical in its seamless movement. The decision to record in B/W was a good one. The story is dank, and disturbing. The B/W only enhances it. A great film on many levels.
Rating:
Summary: The Finest In American Film
Review: Everyone seems to have neglected the incredible score by Kenyon Hopkins. I'll never forget the first time I saw this splendid film--how the silence of the opening scene makes you feel it's taking place right along with you. No credits, no sounds--but the actual sounds of the voices, the glasses in the bar, the pool balls, and the hard sound of the corner pocket when Newman drops the ball after the push bank shot. Not until after he closes the door on the car and hands the rolled up wallet full of bills to McCormick, do you hear Hopkins' score begin. The cool, hard jazz answers the opening scene so perfectly, defining all that follows in the movie. I have never seen such total understanding and complete brilliance in an opening scene, and such nuance between art direction, actors, music, and director. And guess what--it only gets better from there. This is the magic of great film making and we're all the better for it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest pieces of American film ever.
Review: made in 1961 the Hustler has lost nothing in over forty years. And placed alongside movies, even the good ones, that are being made today it seems damn near revolutionary. The style of this film is quite sublime, as the mood and rythm of the film is expertly fleshed out by Rossen and his cast. There certainly is a theme and direction to this movie, but because each scene is set up like a scene within itself, nothing adds up until the films end. Although this film is undoubtedly American I thought I was watching most certainly some obscure foreign art film, when I firts saw it I was quite stunned by how modern and progressive everything was from it's editing techniques to it's moral themes about just about everything men do wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Great because it is the opposite of Color of Money
Review: 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 Hustler a better movie - it's a masterpiece because it is a gripping tale of human redepmption, of Eddie's battle to separate his pool game from his self-esteem. It's also about one man's passion for the game. How can any pool player forget that soliloquoy by Fast Eddie when he and Sarah go for that picnic, how he talks about how he loves even just the sound of the click of the balls, how the cue has nerves in it and is part of his arm! Remember that last scene in Color of Money, where young cocky Vincent plays the older, cagier Fast Eddie and Eddie declares "I'm back" before he breaks the balls? Even though the movie ends there, everyone knows Eddie wiped up the floor with Vincent. Vincent's character had talent, but Eddie had character, and that's what beat Fast Eddie time he played Fats. Bert Gordon: You got talent. Fast Eddie: I got talent? So what beat me? Bert: Character. And that's the way the two movies are too. Color of Money has talent, but The Hustler has character.
Rating:
Summary: Peripheral vision
Review: This timeless and seldom seen masterpiece is so successful on so many levels-- acting, philosophical insight, and technical prowess-- that it will one day rank with Shakespeare as one of the most complete entertainment experiences in existence. Until the original verson is restored to its original cinemascope format which, like Ophul's "Lola Montez", Cukor's "A Star is Born", or Visconti's "The Leopard", validated and expanded the possibilities and justified the use of cinemascope, the viewer will have to extend the edges of the image with his imagination. Fortunately, the sense of isolation and abandonment in a unsympathetic and hostile environment remain somewhat intact.
Rating:
Summary: Peripheral vision
Review: This timeless and so seldom seen masterpiece This timeless and seldom seen masterpiece is so successful on so many levels-- acting, philosophical insight, and technical prowess-- that it will one day rank with Shakespeare as one of the most complete entertainment experiences in existence. Until the original verson is restored to its original cinemascope format which, like Ophul's "Lola Montez", Cukor's "A Star is Born", or Visconti's "The Leopard", validated and stretched the possibilities qnd justified the use of cinemascope, the viewer will have to extend the edges of the image with his imagination. Fortunately, the sense of isolation and abandonment in a unsympathetic and hostile environment remain somewhat intact.
Rating:
Summary: An Exercise in Charisma
Review: Despite the fact The Hustler may initially appear to be a mere documentary of the dark pool halls of America, the performance of Newman renders it universal. As Fast Eddie Feltzen, Newman captivates the audience and commands the screen, even outshining George C. Scott. Newman does not turn in a display of arrogance; his character seems blessed by providence, assured to succeed regardless of the obstacles in his way. Newman's performance is not all bravado however; when entering into a "contract of depravity", he lashes out and shows the need to discover prudence; his youthful exuberance will only take him so far. The Hustler - shot in starkly conrasting black and white - is a film that pervades grit and atmosphere; like Rebel Without a Cause,it serves to show the assuredness of youth, the eventual triumph of passion. It truly is an American classic.
Rating:
Summary: A really must see classic!!!!!
Review: This movie is one of the best of the best. A must see. It has everything that you need for a great movie. Even if you don't like pool you should still give this movie a try.
Rating:
Summary: A must see. An original to cherish.
Review: We are talking masterpiece. This movie will please every adult, even if there interests are not in pool. If you don't have this in your video collection - it is time to get it. You will want to watch this again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: Wooohooo - lots of drinkin', smokin', and gamblin'
Review: First off, I enjoyed this film. There aren't really any flaws to it. The one thing that might possibly bother some people is its speed. It doesn't move very fast and some people these days seem to like fast-moving films. I had no problem with it and on my four scale it gets a three and a half. Paul Newman and George C. Scott (wise old sage that he is) turn in great performances, and Jackie Gleason, for his part, doesn't do too shabbily either. Anyway, another thing you might want to notice is the quietness of the film. The sound is set up differently than more modern films and in this way allows you to concentrate more on the visual than the audio. It's worth renting. But I don't think I'd buy it.
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