Un gioco estremamente pericoloso

Great, underrated film noir, expertly written, master class of the genre. Begs to be rediscovered. If you are a purist of noir, then this is a gift to you, courtesy of Aldrich. There is so much more to Burt Reynolds than people give him credit, and he proves it here. I may be alone in this, but i got the impression the film was lit for black and white and comes off badly in colour - the contrast is too extreme, and ultimately works against the film. Curiously, when i tuned it to b/w it looked incredible - as moody and mean as Aldrich would would have intended. And Deneuve isn't as bad as the critics made out. if you love noir and have a problem with this film, i can't begin to understand why.

When the body of a woman is found on an isolated beach, Homicide Lieutenant Phil Gaines (Burt Reynolds) and his partner, Sergeant Louis Belgrave (Paul Winfield), are assigned for the investigation. They conclude, with the support of the report of the coroner, that the victim, the hooker and strip-dancer Gloria Hollinger (Sharon Kelly), committed suicide using pills. They omit to the family the existence of excessive semen in Gloria's orifices, but her father Marty Hollinger (Ben Johnson), a veteran of the Korea war, does not accept the police findings and try to locate the possible criminal following a personal investigation. The leads point to the last person to be with Gloria, the dirty and powerful attorney Leo Sellers (Eddie Albert), and also a regular costumer of Phil's girlfriend, the prostitute Nicole Britton(Catherine Deneuve).

"Hustle" is a great film-noir. The story is politically incorrect and all the characters are sordid. Burt Reynolds is great in the role of a tormented, but correct and efficient cop, capable of simulate evidences,living with the dilemma that his girl-friend is a whore, and expecting one day to move to Rome with her. Catherine Deneuve is in the splendor of her beauty in the role of a prostitute. Paul Winfield plays a correct detective, but brutal and racist. Eddie Albert is in the role of a powerful man, capable of killing to reach his objectives. Gloria's mother is an unfaithful wife and Marty is a paranoid and obsessed man. The appearance of the precinct is very real and authentic. Robert "Freddy Kruger" Englund, in the beginning of his career, has a short but important participation in the end of the story as the holdup man in a store. In my opinion, this film is very underrated in IMDb User Rating. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Crime e Paixão" ("Crime and Passion")

Alternate and original title (all comments from 28 year old memory) City of Angels. I saw this movie while on 3-4 hour break from college classes in lower Manhattan. Burt plays Burt. His character is a little too worldly to be believable, yet I love this picture. Deneuve is hot and Burt daydreams about retiring to Italy with her where they can open a liquor store. Burt keeps saying "Bingo" every few minutes. He had to be cheating. Seriously, the film is serious product placement for Bushmill's Irish Whiskey. After watching the flick I went out and got bombed on the stuff. Wound up Millstoned for 28 years. Recently got released. Has Burt made a good movie since I was in?

'Hustle' is an overlooked film, though it is easy to see why.

Stylistically it is very low-key with no notable flourishes or tricksiness. It boasts little in the way of 'action'. A hostage situation sequence seems to have been added purely to provide something in that line for fidgety Burt fans. It is profoundly cynical and resolutely (almost excessively) downbeat. But it is also very thoughtful, atmospheric, well acted and absorbing. A kind of modern dress companion piece to 'Chinatown'. And whilst not quite achieving the force and subtlety of that film, it remains highly creditable.

Reynolds is effective as the world weary cop in love with a French prostitute, a cipher whom Deneuve turns into a real person. Her character represents some sort of unattainable, glamorous continental dream to the policeman. This idea is explored and reinforced by numerous references and allusions to European cinema, culture and locale.

Burt looks uncannily like a youthful Brando and brings great restraint to a role which could have been horribly over-played. Ben Johnson, Eileen Brennan and Paul Winfield also all give good performances as beaten, screwed-up people. The outstanding turn, though, comes from Edward Albert as Leo Sellers, a wealthy and powerful businessman with dubious tastes and connections. This character is key to Steve Shagan's screenplay in the same way that John Huston's Noah Cross was to Robert Towne's 'Chinatown'. A persona symbolic of corruption and degeneracy, but also integral to the prosperity of the society he is such a part of. Sellers is a refined, intelligent man with a keen eye for people's weak spots and fingers deft enough to push all of their buttons at once. Mr. Albert brings him to life with a palpable evil.

'Hustle' is a film that I like to reacquaint myself with from time to time. Whilst Shagan's script is occasionally a tad overblown and too fruity for its own good, there are some great lines and moments. For me, it's noirish exploration of thwarted romanticism is pretty much irresistible.

A minor classic.

Hustle is a terrific film with a a really nice performance by the always under used (the late great) Paul Winfield, he and Burt Reynolds work well together and Eddie Albert is scary as the low life "leo sellers". the stunt the one reviewer is talking about re: albino actor falling from high rise while blasting his pistol into camera is the late great, Dar Robinson from Reynolds' other film, "stick" in the early eighties. i'm glad this is on DVD now and finally a Reinold's' film that is letter boxed. i hope they can re-do the other films IE: "white lightning", "gator" and "shamus" in letterbox form especially "gator" cause it was shot in Todd A-O scope.