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Paul Newman reprised his role of Eddie Felson from "The Hustler" (1961), on all short lists of great movies, to star in "The Color of Money", a worthy sequel in the way "Rocky II" was to "Rocky" -- not a great movie, but very good.

Eddie, advancing in years, has apparently left the hustling circuit for a more respectable job as a liquor wholesalesman. On his route, he encounters a brash, obnoxious pool shark named Vincent (Tom Cruise) and his girlfriend (Mary Mastrantonio). Vincent has the talent, but not the brains or knowledge, to be another great hustler, so Eddie, his desire for the circuit reignited, offers to stake Vincent and teach him the ropes, in exchange for a substantial piece of the winnings. At first, Vincent's ego and obnoxiousness threaten his development, but he soon learns all of Eddie's tricks -- and a few of his own. By the time of the big tournament at the end of the movie, Eddie and Vince have split ways -- and find themselves on a collision course.

I just realized that "The Color of Money" is my favorite Tom Cruise movie, but not my favorite Paul Newman movie (which could well be "The Hustler"). I re-viewed this movie recently after a long discussion with some friends about the difference between a movie star and an actor, and the few living legends that are both (besides Newman, I'd include Jack Nicholson and Robert de Niro). As always, Newman, even with such a huge public persona, disappears into the role of the middle-aged grifter, heartbroken how far his game has fallen in the days since he left the pool hall circuit. But he also makes the other performers around him shine. Cruise's trademark cockiness shines through in Vincent. Besides Mastrantonio, one of my favorite actresses Helen Shaver turns in a nice performance as Eddie's girlfriend, and Forest Whitaker first appeared on my radar in his short time on screen.

The other star of the movie is the game. While Scorsese didn't make his movie into the character study of "The Hustler", he uses the pool tables and balls as a medium for many artistic scenes. If you are someone who enjoys looking at beautiful movies, you won't be disappointed. And there might even be some real pool players -- you never know...

The story is good, not great. "The Color of Money" is not cut from the same felt as "The Hustler", and does not try to be. It is a movie about pool, not a character study. I don't think I would be up to repeated viewings as frequent as "The Hustler", but it's a fine way to spend an evening watching Newman and Cruise shoot pool.

"Twenty five years ago, my career ended before it had even really started," Eddie Felson tells Vince, a young pool shark. No longer the cocky man he was in "The Hustler," Eddie (Paul Newman) in 1986 is retired from pool and a successful investor. When he spots hot-shot Vince (Tom Cruise), he decides to invest in him and take him on the road, with the goal of Vince winning a big pool tournament in Atlantic City. Along the way, Eddie confronts what he was and is no more and looks at the dreams he let die. When Vince is too foolish and strong-willed to take his advice, Eddie makes an important decision.

Though not as strong a film as "The Hustler," "The Color of Money" is still an excellent film with a great cast led by Newman, at the peak of his "older man" good looks and the brilliant acting he's always had. And, as usual, he tells you everything you need to know about a character. It's clear that he was content with his life and his attractive girlfriend (Helen Shaver) until he saw Vince. Then the old restlessness and competitiveness came creeping back into his blood.

Seeing Tom Cruise in 1986 is startling since today, the lower half of his face has changed drastically due to plastic surgery. Here he conveys the raw, youthful energy that helped make him a star. Like many successful movie actors, he has a wonderful physical agility. His pompadoured Vince is a short-tempered, jealous, talented ingrate who can't help showing off. Cruise is very effective, as is Mary Elizabeth Mastroantonio as his sultry, beautiful girlfriend in another role she made memorable in the '80s.

Beautifully directed by Scorcese, "The Color of Money" shows that it's never too late to follow your dreams and, with the right actors and the right script, you can do a good sequel even 25 years after the original.

People misunderstood "The Color of Money," I think. There are a few things to keep in mind:

1) This was a Martin Scorsese film. Scorsese was fresh off "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," and other such successes from less than a decade before. People were expecting a lot.

2) It starred Paul Newman, returning to his character from "The Hustler," in a sequel that was twenty-five years in the making. That's longer than the wait for the "Phantom Menace" prequel.

Perhaps for those two (very strong) reasons alone, when "The Color of Money" opened in 1986, the critics and audiences didn't think much of it. It garnered decent praise from both areas but most critics seemed to agree: it didn't hold a candle to "The Hustler," and anyone other than Scorsese could have easily made the same picture.

After 19 years, I disagree. I think "The Color of Money" is not only an intelligent and amusing character piece, but an excellent continuation of a character we haven't seen for 25 years.

First of all, Scorsese's direction isn't his best, but it's still very good. And he's definitely got the same elements going on as "After Hours" from a few years before -- his cinematography is identical and the dark colors and grainy '80s vibe are present in every frame. Likewise he's using the quick-cuts and zooms and iconic panning shots that he's known for. The thing is, Scorsese's styles just changed a bit during the 1980s (they even carried on into "GoodFellas" -- the night-time shots carry the same foreboding look as "After Hours" and "Color of Money"). I think now, looking back, since we've seen more of Scorsese's films, it's easier to notice that this is indeed a Martin Scorsese film. A man who is constantly changing his directorial approach. (Just look at "The Aviator" for goodness sake!) Newman deserved the Oscar more for "The Hustler," of course, but for what it's worth, Fast Eddie Felson's evolution is handled with care in the script and it's very entertaining (for anyone who's seen the original) to note the change in his behavior. It's also interesting to see the new cocky pool hustler, Vince (Tom Cruise), filling in the shoes of Eddie from a few decades before.

If "The Hustler" was a great insight into the life of a troubled young man, then "The Color of Money" is a terrific insight into the evolution of this man, and the contrast between the young and the old. All adults tell us as children that they were just like us at one time, and we don't believe them. "The Color of Money" follows this principal -- in thirty years, we all know Vince will be just like Fast Eddie: wise and matured. And then he'll probably be coaching a young guy who thinks he's the king of the world. Will they make another sequel based on this continuation of the story? I doubt it. It's unnecessary, because as far as I'm concerned "The Color of Money" has already stressed the point. But you never know...

Overall this isn't a great movie and I won't pretend it is. But I do think it's one of the better films to come out of the 1980s and had a lot more going for it than some of the critics gave it credit for. Film buffs should see it, especially those who loved "The Hustler."

The Color of Money (1986)

The reputation of this films rides partly on its director, a mainstream Martin Scorsese, and on the previous film it bounces off of (and makes vague reference to), The Hustler. Key to both films is the astonishing Paul Newman, who holds his end of the stick and then some. The rest of the cast is purely in canned and competent support roles, or in semi-star roles by two young actors with some screen presence but no great subtle skill to match Newman's.

I'm speaking not only of Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio, who is forced to play the slightly tough, slightly sexy, generally submissive girlfriend, but also of Tom Cruise, who is brilliant at being "flakey" partly because he is in real life, from all accounts. You give Scorsese credit here for using the young actor in a role that matches his natural persona, in contrast to others, including Spielberg, who seem to make more of the actor than there is, and a certain falseness gets in the way. But this film uses the awkwardness and naive, boyish qualities of Cruise as a sudden pool shark really well.

What holds it all back? I think basically plot. I mean, it's fun to see the big hustle at play, and to get stung once or twice when things aren't what they seem. But we sort of know going in that that's the general plan, and then it happens. And it takes a long time happening...there are no (no) complications here, beyond pool and hustling. The romances, for what they are worth, a completely thin, and didn't have to be. The settings, all these great (great) poolhalls and small town joints are terrific, populated a little too perfectly by locals of all different stripes. The camera-work makes some fairly cinema verite footage make sense in the scenes, but not with either edge or lyricism.

This all sounds a little like I'm working hard to point out the flaws, and I must go back to where I started about Newman, and the basic strength of the aging pool player facing a change in his personal scenery. It's a canned affair overall. Well done, sure, but without the richness of the best of Scorsese's work, or the best of Hollywood, for that matter, including the preceding The Hustler, which you might see in a pairing with this one.

There are two possible reviews that could be written about this film; two kinds, that is. One kind comes from somebody who's never seen "The Hustler" (1961), who's main character, Fast Eddie Felson, played by Paul Newman, is here reprised and replayed by the same actor, after 25 years has gone by, in a new script. I'm curious to read a review of this kind. I've seen "The Hustler" and rank it very high on my list of great films. So I can only write a review of this other kind. If you know the story from "Hustler" (and love it), how can you not be interested in what happens to Fast Eddie later in life? I was immediately aware of the extension of ideas (money, excellence, honor, pride, and deceit) from "The Hustler" and curious to see where Scorsese would take them. I think he's true to the time period: the clothing (and Vince's hair!), the music (very 80's), and the shift of values (as compared to 60s; e.g. cocaine replacing alcohol). Fast Eddie is also true to his age (and former excellence as a hustler). It feels like he's inherited a bit of Bert (from "The Hustler), a festering bitterness and pride, which reemerges when he meets Vince. I actually liked Tom Cruise as the innocent Vince and thought he played him perfectly. I winced to see him lose that innocence, which is probably what the film means to do. Mastroantonio is also pretty fabulous and yet no where near as cognizant and complex as Piper Laurie's character in "The Hustler." In that respect, this film is not as "cool" as "The Hustler." To credit Scorsese, he avoids trying to make a film as cool or similar in look to the original. Also, this movie does not attempt to gloss over Fast Eddie's faults (indeed it focuses on them intensely), and it doesn't mean to have him come to some redemption (although he does return to some of his former glory as a pool player). For me, my interest in the development of the story hinges upon my knowledge of what happened in "The Hustler." There was no way I could separate this fact from my judgement of the movie. I was disappointed only in so far that I wasn't watching "The Hustler" instead; and that's unfair to this movie. So, I don't know how this movie stands on its own. Try to imagine a movie about Rick, reprised by Bogart, from "Casablanca" 25 years later, called "The Taste of Defeat" when he's living in Paris, bloated from drink and lamenting the loss of swing jazz and, alas, his only love,Ilsa, etc etc.

"Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) is an aging liquor salesman and retired billiards professional who spots the talent of a cocky young player Vincent (Tom Cruise) and offers to teach him to be an even better player. With his girlfriend Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), Vincent accepts the offer and the trio begins a long road trip touring many pool halls across the country, with Vincent winning and losing intentionally to create a specific reputation and to hustle more money than he would gain otherwise. Eventually Eddie also finds his long lost knack for the game.

Paul Newman's natural charisma carries the film with ease, but the movie is not without its problems. Tom Cruise's overflowing energy and self-confidence are an intentional part of his character's style, sure, but I feel he is overdoing the cockiness to the point of being just irritating. The third main character Carmen is left more in the background but Mastrantonio looks rather fragile for such a role, as the vibe I was getting from her character was more rough and experienced than the innocent-looking actress could convey. The supporting actors do a good job though, such as Forest Whitaker as an unexpectedly good pool shark Amos and John Turturro as an antagonistic rival to Eddie and Vincent.

Another thing that bothered me about the film was the restless camera-work. There is a lot of movement: turning, zooming, tracking, some quick cuts – something I found distracting. In certain scenes it works fine though, such as during the spinning long take of Vincent's game against Moselle (Bruce A. Young). The other pool playing scenes are mostly well done too, especially during the finale at the big tournament.

The Color of Money may not be Scorsese's best film by a long shot, but it is entertaining alright and contains some exciting billiards scenes, so fans of the game ought to check it out. The drama, namely the development of the relationship between young Vincent and the father figure-like Eddie works well enough too. 'A decent film, but no masterpiece' is my verdict.

The Color of Money is a slick sequel to The Hustler where Paul Newman as a much younger man paid the price for hustling pool. Now, twenty some years later, his Fast Eddie Felson is driving around in a big fancy Cadillac selling liquor and stake-horsing younger pool players. One day, while romancing his bartender girlfriend, his young protégé (John Tuturro) gets whipped by this cocky kid named Vincent. Eddie Felson is immediately drawn to the flaky, loud-mouthed kid with the name "Vince" stenciled on his tee shirt. After some arm twisting and manipulating, Eddie, Vincent, and Vincent's streetwise girlfriend Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are making their way to Atlantic City where a 9 Ball pool tournament awaits. Along they way Eddie tries to teach them how to hustle pool. This will be a problem because of course the cocky youngster won't do as he's told. He has a gift and knows it. It is simply impossible for him to hold back and let someone beat him. Even when it could lead to a bigger payoff down the road. His girlfriend Carmen also seems to see both Vincent and Eddie as a way to make money for herself. She is clearly a woman with motives all her own. Of course this will all lead up to a climatic match in Atlantic City between the old master and the young protégé, won't it? Well, it appears to for a moment, until we learn that what we saw wasn't really what it appeared to be.

And that's the part of the film that seemed to really irk Roger Ebert in his review. He was expecting a masterpiece of a film for no other reason than Martin Scorcese is the director. But the film isn't a masterpiece. Its simply a very good film with some great performances, great music, and some gritty and authentic-looking locations. Who is the better pool player is the last thing this film is about. This is a film about people using other people. Be it for money, inspiration, comfort, you name it. Newman plays Felson here as a gruff, seasoned man who thinks he knows everything about the game, and those who play it. He finds out as the film moves along that is not always the case. Sometimes these younger players have new tricks up their sleeves, and if you let your guard down, they will hustle even the smartest old timer. There is a classic scene where Eddie, after a few too many drinks, allows a chubby and apparently dim-witted Forest Whitaker to take him for hundreds of dollars. The film is full of scenes that end in ways you don't quite expect.

This is one of those movies where above all else, the casting was almost perfect. Newman is as watchable as ever. Mastrantonio steals a few scenes. Cruise is annoying of course, but he was supposed to be. Still, he looks kind of weak compared to the other actors. Great support from Helen Shaver and Bill Cobbs, too. Watch closely for an appearance from music icon Iggy Pop. During a montage, Cruise hustles him and then steals a shot of booze right out of his hand! The cinematography from Michael Ballhaus is great as always. In fact its too good! Some of the camera shots just look too stylish for such a film. Maybe that was Scorcese's way of trying to liven up a picture with so little violence! Overall, The Color of Money is worth your time. 8 of 10 stars.

The Hound

"The Color Of Money" continues the story of pool player/hustler 'Fast Eddie' Felson (Paul Newman). He's 25 years old, and 25 years wiser as he's spent that time watching pool hustles and schemes and selling wine after his 'early' retirement from pool playing in the original.

But now he's got a new excitement and energy to the game, as he meets Vincent (Tom Cruise), a young, cocky but talented fresh player who's not well known around the low-level pool rooms Eddie has been frequenting. Eddie and Vincent's girlfriend, Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) see Vincent as a cash cow. Indeed, everybody uses everyone, and we're never quite sure the relationship between the three. That's the beauty of it.

Scorsese's never been more refined yet quietly flashy, dealing with a traditional 'old' Hollywood tale of a mentor and protege as small time hustlers playing each other and getting played. The film is an underrated gem, truly downplayed in Scorsese's overall filmography.

Definitely recommended.

Although a lot of this plot is taken from the Richard Widmark rodeo film When the Legends Die, The Color of Money is still a worthy film and a good successor to the early Paul Newman classic, The Hustler.

I imagine that players like Paul Newman who create classic characters like Fast Eddie Felson must be bombarded with scripts or story ideas for sequels. Paul Newman is one of the most discriminating of players and up to this point he had only reprised his role in Harper with The Drowning Pool.

When he decided to do The Color of Money there was no need to age Newman twenty five years with makeup. Time had done a better job than any makeup man could have done. Time had also honed his acting abilities so that he could realistically recreate one of his classic characters in an older generation.

One thing about The Color of Money is that can and does stand independently of The Hustler. You do not have to have seen the earlier film to know what's happening here. Nevertheless in that earlier film, promising new pool player Eddie Felson does not take direction from mobsters who effectively end his career before he gets it firmly on track.

Fast forward from 1961 to 1986 and Paul Newman is now a liquor salesman who hangs around poolrooms in tank towns and dreams what might have been. A young kid with a 'sledgehammer break' gets Newman's attention and its Tom Cruise. He's got a girlfriend, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio with him and the three sort of adopt each other.

It's a complicated relationship between all three of them and all three of them manage to convey the many ups and downs of this triangle. Newman teaches Cruise the tricks of the trade including how to tank a game occasionally to bring up the betting odds. In many ways Cruise learns too well and Newman hanging around with him makes him realize just how much he's missed because of the gangland blackball.

Reportedly Newman and Cruise got along splendidly during the making of The Color of Money. Their joint interest in auto racing cemented a very good working relationship.

Paul Newman was also nominated during the eighties for Absence of Malice and The Verdict which are two of my favorites with him. Unfortunately in the first he was up against Henry Fonda who had been similarly snubbed for years by the Academy and was dying during the Oscar voting. The second time Ben Kingsley portrayal of the title role in the massive blockbuster Gandhi obscured what I think is Newman's finest performance in The Verdict.

Though the Oscar was an Oscar for lifetime of work, The Color of Money is a worthy sequel to The Hustler. Martin Scorsese got great performances out of the whole cast. And Paul Newman finally got a matching Oscar to go with the one Joanne Woodward won for The Three Faces of Eve for their mantelpiece.

25 years after Paul Newman starred as "Fast" Eddie Felson in El buscavidas (1961), he reprised his role and teamed up with another legend in Martin Scorsese to bring us El color del dinero (1986). Undoubtedly stylish and entertaining, it seems to lack the depth and atmospheric feel of "The Hustler". Cruise gives an honest but not terribly likeable performance as Vincent Lauria and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio does well with what she's given. I think the problem was some of the performances came off slightly cartoonish, though I suppose it's difficult to fully recapture the realism and magic that we had with "The Hustler", far and away one of the greatest films of the '60s. Scorsese takes a different approach here and allows his art of a filmmaker to shine through during the pool scenes, which are handled fairly artistically through innovative angles and shots (no pun intended). It's most certainly got style but the substance just wasn't what it could have been given where it's come from.

I distinctly recall seeing this movie poster at the video store 30+ years ago and being intrigued. So how in the world did I never watch it till now? I cannot answer that question, but I loved the whole thing. The script was solid and the Scorcese flourishes were masterful, but Newman - not to mention Cruise, Mastrantonio, Turturro, and the rest of the cast - took it to another level. Even the over the top moments (and there are plenty, especially in Cruise's scenes) work. It is a movie that would never get made in 2022, but I'm thrilled it was made in 1986. It was worth 2 hours just for the vibe.

Pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) discovers a cocky, young pool player Vincent (Tom Cruise) in a local bar. Along with Vincent's girl Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), he tries to teach the youngster all that he knows about the hustle.

Tom Cruise overplays the cocky arrogant characters. At times, he plays him like a cartoon character. Luckily Paul Newman could bring the acting chops to this movie. When Paul's character loses to Amos (Forest Whitaker), you see a history of the man's failures. You felt his defeat emotionally. Martin Scorsese directs this. I wonder if Martin Scorsese held back a little. The violence and grittiness for which he's known for isn't all there. They're traveling the darkest and lowest pool halls, but it could have been much worst.

This one should have been a home run for me as I am a fan of both Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. As it played out the acting was great but the characters were depicted poorly. The cockiness of Cruise was way over the top and the moodiness of Newman was a distraction. I thought Scorcese's direction of the film was poor and the screen play was choppy. The Hustler was a fantastically great movie and this should have been better with it's predecessor as a pattern. Even with the great Paul Newman this one only gets a 5 from me.

Near excellent sequel to "The Hustler" which returns Paul Newman (finally in an Oscar-winning role) as the old wise former hustler who decides to take young jerk Tom Cruise and his hot, but shady girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in her Oscar-nominated role) on the road to take advantage of all pool table challengers. Newman's reprise of his greatest role is truly something to experience. He is at the top of his career in this one, playing a quiet and complicated role of a man who has been tortured by time, loss and missed dreams of total success. Martin Scorsese's subtle and focused direction stays on task throughout and he lets his three outstanding leads do the bulk of the work. Not quite as good as "The Hustler" due to a weaker screenplay and less suspense, but still a very memorable cinematic experience. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Talk about a rush and new found vitality. It has been awhile since Fast Eddie Felson seriously picked up a pool cue. The clever hustler takes a young, flashy shooter under his wing. The not well hidden agenda is to get back into the action on the coattails of his young protege. Great sequel. Martin Scorsese's camera work makes shooting pool a form of artistic expression.

Paul Newman is in top form in his reprise role of Eddie Felson. Tom Cruise is super as the talented, cocky and fearless Vincent Lauria. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is the alluring girlfriend of Vincent. She partners with Fast Eddie to propel the protege to his finest hour.

John Turturro, Bill Cobbs and Helen Shaver also appear. The film grabs a hold and won't let go.

If the performances were so great, why only rate it a 7 out of 10? To begin with, I watched this with my kids back in the 80's and we got hooked on 9-ball right away--we would play in this garage, and I would dominate until one of my younger kids dropped the 9-ball by accident, ending my streak. So, the film has sentimental value to me.

In the clear light of day, however, I re-watched it recently, and recalled what annoyed me the first time: Newman's reactions to Vince seem inconsistent and inexplicable. When Vince (Cruise) does what Newman (Eddie) tells him to do, Eddie is angry - when Vince does the opposite, Eddie gets mad (once, even driving off and leaving him). I didn't get it.

We are supposed to view Eddie as the mentor here, but, frequently, the roles reverse. For example, when Eddie decides to play a competitive game against a stranger (a young Forest Whittaker), he finds he is the victim of a clever con-artist -- he throws a hissy-fit, but Vince's reaction is the correct one: "Forget it - we'll get this guy next time." Eddie won't listen. Who is the impetuous protegé now?

There are some great pool sequences, however, and a glorious scene where Vince - armed with a totebox containing a world-class cue - encounters the Hall #1 player, who asks: "What have you got there?" "Doom", replies Vince with a big smile. Wish I had the game to say that.

So, if you can tolerate characters that react unevenly to situations, and aren't always likable, you might enjoy this unique film featuring Paul Newman's only Oscar-winning role (he shoulda won for Cool Hand Luke).

Martin Scorsese's follow-up of sorts to the 1959 film The Hustler finds him in a far less interesting state than usual, but it's a perfectly fine piece of entertainment all the same. Maybe it is hard to make a spectacular film about 9-ball, I don't know. Of course, the film is more about the people than the game.

The main trio in the film – the aging "hustler" Eddie Felson (Paul Newman), the hotheaded newcomer (Tom Cruise) and his tough girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) – is a setup we have seen in a thousand movies, but they all play their parts as great as they possible could. Dramaturgically there's not much new going on either, except that the film might have an unusually long stretch of setbacks and people getting mad at each other. But despite Newman's arguments with the couple, the film never really hits a nerve or feels very exciting, possibly with the exception of a certain revelation in a hotel room.

Stylistically, The Color of Money is sort of a precursor to Goodfellas and Casino, inasmuch as a film about pool can be so. The camera hovers around pool halls, there are long tracking shots of billiard balls in which Paul Newman can see his mirror image, and there are fast cuts between cool breaks. And the smoky, jukeboxy soundtrack is definitely classic Scorsese ground (except less interesting). All in all, it's a solid film, and as a moderate fan of playing pool, I do derive some pleasure from seeing those cool breaks.

A retired pool shark, Eddie (Newman), is drawn to a young, hot shot player, Vincent (Cruise) by just hearing the sound of his break. He takes him under his wing to teach him the ropes on how to properly win money while hustling. Along with Vincent's girlfriend who helps set up the hustling scenes, this arrangement slowly awakens within Eddie his old days of sinking balls. Will Vincent be able to throw some games for the bigger score or will his competitive edge take over? On the horizon is a large pool tournament. Will there be a master vs pupil face off? The crux of the film belongs to Eddie's emotional anguish of trying to return to his old form in the face of the hyper skilled play of Vincent. Great acting and good storytelling.

25 years after casting his magic in The Hustler, Paul Newman returns again as Fast Eddie Felson, and the results are almost as good as the 1961 offering. Here he is older and wiser and carrying around a cue case full of cynicism, tho no longer involved in the game of pool he has his hunger for the game and the money it makes, rekindled by a meeting with dynamite hot shot Vincent and his beautiful girlfriend Carmen.

The story involves the three of them going on the road hustling and aiming for the big pay off that Vincent's talent can ultimately bring them, naturally it's not all sweetness and light tho.

It's a fine film when looking at it now, and I was amazed that it didn't feel like an 80s film as such, and this is down to the cracking direction of Martin Scorsese, it may be one of his most mainstream commercial offerings but his fine work is there for all to see. The camera glides around as if on air to create joyous results, shots that put the pool action right into the conscious of the viewer, it's a great effort. The film is further boosted by two wonderful performances from the leading men, Newman deserved his Oscar for putting such verve and honesty into the now grizzled Felson, there is a scene with Forest Whitaker that is Newman gold without him hardly having to say anything . Then there is Cruise, all big hair and a ball of adrenaline, a great ebullient show that is great fun to watch. I read somewhere that Newman praised Cruise for capturing the essence of a young Eddie Felson, well you can't say fairer than that. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio more than holds her own with the boys and fleshes out a smart and entertaining film that seems to get better with age, just like Felson funnily enough.

Oh he's back alright, 9/10.

Older, wiser ex-pool hustler Paul Newman (as "Fast" Eddie Felson) spots younger, dumber pool playing fanatic Tom Cruise (as Vincet Lauria). Mr. Newman sees in Mr. Cruise the same ability he once possessed. Newman thinks, however, Cruise is a "flake". He decides to teach Cruise the tricks of the pool-hustling trade, make lots of money, and bring him to the BIG pool playing tournament in Atlantic City. BUT, the ex-champ and protégée have problems, and split up. Newman gets a new pair of eyeglasses, and decides to re-enter the game. Who do you think he meets during the ending tournament?

Most obvious strength is Newman's excellent portrayal; the entire film rests on his characterization, and his expertly delivers the goods. Newman either inspires, or allows everyone else to shine on their own; at least, that's what comes across on screen. Newman is a marvelous actor. Cruise wisely plays his part not as a younger version of Paul Newman, but as a unique, naive character, with similar pool table expertise. May Elizabeth Mastrantonio (as Carmen) has a choice role as Cruise's accompanying girlfriend. Watch for a great scene wherein Newman shows he understands women as well as he does pool.

The movie doesn't seem very realistic, after the three get going. The barrooms and pool halls are surprisingly smoke-free. Perhaps, director Martin Scorsese was portending a "smoking ban". The soundtrack music is too good, in most instances; sadly, there are no cheap jukeboxes playing awful oldies. Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" is an exception; it is a good song, and is used very well in the film. No balls jump off the table (or anywhere); it's a tight, professional picture. And, Martin Scorsese, Paul Newman, and Tom Cruise are certainly an irresistible box office hustle.

******* The Color of Money (1986) Martin Scorsese ~ Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, May Elizabeth Mastrantonio

25 years after throwing in the cue Fast Eddie Nelson (invariably played by Paul Newman) he now owns a pool hall and spends his time with some minor hustling. Until he comes across a guileless, but prodigally talented youngster with incessant bad hair days called Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise), who with ease and mirth dispatches the best pool player in his establishment. Enticed by the hapless youth Eddie soon ventures to take him and his girlfriend-manager Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) on the road to throw them into the world of pool hustling and then to finally bring them to the Atlantic City to compete on the big stage...

Paul Newman easily dominates proceedings with his restrained gentlemen charm residing somewhere on the verge of skewed morality - a place of pool cons made hard-earned money and just reward (fuly deserved Oscar winning role). Opposing him Cruise delivers a rather bland outing, in part due to attention subconsciously shifted north of his forehead to his 'dead beaver' hair-do. Thankfully however Cruise's character is essentially a counterpoint to Eddie - initially an uncouth naive jester under tutelage evolves into a self-conscience and money-orientated player, much in the mold of the hustler himself. Roles however change when Eddie rediscovers the joys of simply playing pool undercut by being hustled himself by a random Joe. As Vincent immerses further into the life, Eddie rediscover the pure joy of playing and enters the Atlantic City competition, thus basically completing a full circle (Vincent now the king of the world Eddie once was, whilst Eddie mature has now grown to appreciate the little things).

The story itself tries to indulge the viewer, but watching balls being struck rarely builds enthusiasm, whilst the moral ambiguity of proceedings shadows the film in both greyness as well as dullness. Though Eddie especially is vividly evoked, "The Colour of Money" drags along with an unflinching incapability to make thunderbolting racks into a thrilling watching experience, instead drenched in smoke, lethargy and morose build-up (not helped by dim grainy cinematography). As stated in the movie the 9-shot is essentially nonstrategic, based on luck, noisy, quick and essentially crass, making the whole experience feel like nonsubstantial style.Coupled with bumbling chemistry between the two leads and some drunkenly built dramaturgy pieces fail to emotionally fall into place (in some part owed to the self-evident premise, which makes proceedings overly predictable. Despite Newman's best efforts overall the limping dramatic side and marginally interesting subject matter cause Scorsese to fail to lift off the ground.