The Hustler | | Cast : | Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason | | Director : | Robert Rossen | | Studio : | Fox Home Entertainme | | Format : | Black & White, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | September 25, 1961 | | DVD Released Date : | May 11, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | Unrated | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 01, 2005 | | Summary | Great Acting! | Content
 | I thought that this movie was great from the standpoint of the acting. Everyone did a marvelous job. George C. Scott was over the top. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 08, 2005 | | Summary | you can't miss with this one! | Content
| Masterpiece. Excellent all around: Cast, writing, direction, camera. Powerful storytelling here. Way better than The Color Of Money, in fact, I'll go so far as to say Color Of Money was awful.
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| Rating | | | Date | May 15, 2005 | | Summary | "You gotta have character." | Content
| Paul Newman, in one of his best roles as Fast Eddie Felson, a pool hustler who has the talent to be the best but not the temperament. He takes on Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) and is beating him soundly, but doesn't know when to quit; operating on pure ego he begins losing - badly. Defeated in every way, he begins hustling again, until in some dive pool hall a gang of men, who don't particularly care for his hustling, break his thumbs. He recovers and meets up with Gleason again, and this time beats him - but he's advised never to show his face in a pool hall again. George C. Scott plays a slimy worm on the take from both Gleason and Newman, and Piper Laurie plays a hooker who falls for Newman and appears mainly to give the picture a love interest. This movie made Newman a star, and he's great to watch. But so is everybody here - it's a great movie. (Jazz fans will recognize Kenny Davern playing clarinet in the Louisville party scene.) Definitely worth a watch. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 01, 2005 | | Summary | Landmark Newman Film | Content
| "The Hustler" starts with probably the best opening sequence in film history. The showdown between cocky pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felsen(Paul Newman) and the more assured "Minnesota Fats"(Jackie Gleason). Newman is mesmerizing as he makes shot after shot berating his opponent in an attempt to psyche him out. It seems to me that the character of Fats and Gleason are somewhat intertwined because Gleason was a pool player of some renown. Nonetheless, Gleason is nothing short of charismatic as he dangles a cigarette from his mouth precisely going about the business at hand while ignoring the childish invective Felsen directs at him. Director Robert Rossen doesn't just concern himself with pool. "The Hustler" is also a character study as the film follows Eddie after this match on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way he developes a relationship with a fragile alcoholic woman, Sarah(Piper Laurie)that is treated tenderly but realistically by Rossen. Eddie takes on a no-nonsense manager Bert(George C. Scott) who may know the game but has the scruples of a snake. Everything comes full circle leading to a rematch with Fats with Eddie being a changed person. All the elements click in this film from the sets that contain the smoky poolhalls, the gorgeous black-and-white photography, and the jazzy score. At it's core "The Hustler" is a film about a man's personal maturation with pool being the milieu in which that occurs. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 26, 2004 | | Summary | A Classic | Content
| This movie is one of the great movies to come out the the 1960's (and there was plenty of competition in that decade). It stars Paul Newman in arguably his best role of his career. In fact, he later won his lone Oscar for continuing that same role as a mature "Fast Eddie" Felsen in "The Color of Money".
It is a story of a small time pool hustler who feels it's time for the big leagues. He tries to take on the best; Minnesota Fats (played by The Great One, Jackie Gleason). That match up was awesomely put together on the screen. Fast Eddie learns a few things in that encounter and his confidence is shaken. He has to regroup and finds himself sinking into a self-defeating relationship with a an underworld type played by George C. Scott. His girl friend, played by Piper Laurie, ultimately causes him to confront his loss of self-respect and he begins to turn his life around. His rebound allows the movie to surge to an uplifting ending.
Anyone who ever won a local pool tournament will love this movie. The scenes in the pool hall bring out the skill, the stress, the finesse, the banter, and the betting in a supurb manner. This is a film about self-respect and personal values. Fast Eddie sold himself to the devil to become a winner. Once he realized what he was sacrificing to win, he turned his life around. With his renewed sense of purpose and self-respect, winning on his own terms became a reality.
The acting in this movie is outstanding. All four of the main actors, Newman, Gleason, Scott, and Laurie, received Oscar nominations. Paul Newman starts out impetuous and eventually shows the deep inner strength he has discovered. Jackie Gleason is Mr. Cool with a pool stick. Many would argue that his is the premier preformance in the movie. George C. Scott is devious and calculating. Piper Laurie plays a character who seems to have trouble finding what she wants but eventually discovers what she doesn't want. The directing and writing are supurb. This is a great movie!
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