Eddie is also a gambler who doesn't know when it is the right time to stop and walk away with what he has left.
Eddie meets up with the legend himself, and attempts to take him to the cleaners. Minnesota Fats is a great pool player, and Eddie Felson is just as good. Eddie takes Fats for $18,000, but looses it all back to him.
Eddie only wants to play more, but after several hours of playing, Minnesota Fats calls it quits, and also calls Eddie "A looser." Depressed about this comment, Eddie tries in vain to proove himself, but to no avail.
Eddie had been living out of a locker in a bus depot, and one day he happens to meet, at that same bus depot, a girl named Sarah Packard (Piper Laurie). Sarah and Eddie get to know each other fairly well, and even start to live together. It all falls apart, however, when Eddie meets Bert Gordon.
Bert Gordon (George C. Scott) wants to become Eddie's manager, but only if Eddie will give him 75% of what he make hustling people. Eddie, agast at the outrageous sum, says no, and walks away.
But the offer stays in the front of Eddie's mind for a while. On day, Eddie ventures into a bar a hustles a pool player trying to hustle Eddie. Eddie wins $100, but eventually has both of his thumbs broken by the pool player's gang. Dejected, he sulks back to Sarah's for help. It is then that he decides to take the help of Bert Gordon, for the 75%.
Bert takes Eddie to Louisville, Kentucky, with Sarah. There, Eddie plays a local man who fancy's himself a shark. His game is billiards. The two of them play of $3,000 a game, and Eddie looses big... but soon Bert won't let him play anymore. Eddie Knows he can beat the old man. Eddie uses his own money, and take the old man for $12,000.
Eddie knows that now he's good enough to take on Minnesota Fats again. Only, things go from bad to worse for Eddie, when his girlfriend, Sarah, dies unexpectedly.
If you liked The Hustler, you will also love The Color of Money. The Hustler is a great pool movie, and Paul Newman is outstanding as fast Eddie Felson in his breakthrough role. On top of doing their own pool shots, the chemistry between Newman and the rest of the cast is exceptional.
Of all the male faces in the movie, old, weathered, cold and cruel, only Paul Newman's open and handsome looks are a contrast. But the casting is correct. His face has gotten Eddie almost as far as his pool skills. Eddie doesn't look like a hustler, but then, you can't judge a book by its cover.
Did you notice the "No Masse` Shots" sign in the pool hall where Eddie and Fats play pool? They manage to pull off some of the "illegal" shots without getting cought. The "Masse`" shot was the only shot not performed by the ctors themselves. That shot was done by 14 time worl billiard champion (from 1941-1957.) The masse` shot sends two object balls into the same pocket after being struck by the cue ball.
The Hustler is a great movie in that it teaches us that to win, one cannot win on talent alone, but also with character, with pride. Eddie has no character but he learns the true way to win, and he, of course, learns that lesson the hard way.
Plot: 
One of the great things about The Hustler is its story. Not one character is the center of the picture; all the main characters get their share of lines. You can't say that there is a "supporting" actor, really; George C. Scott has just about as much screen time as Laurie or Newman.
On top of that, the story really works well; It was good enough to have a Oscar worthy sequal. Dialogue is crisp and sharp, and there are times when you really get to feeling for "Fast Eddie".
Visual Effects:
This film is about a pool hustler, so the director choose not to show a lot of pool shots - but just enough - to get the point of the picture across to the audiance.
The black and white cinematography works very well. Having no color does not loose any of the story of the film, however; it does add to the depth of the picture.
Sound:
Above average. Agian, well done.
Character Development:
Eddie Felson starts out as a young, cocky pool shark determined to beat the best - Minnesota Fats- and succeeds, but does not no when to quit and thus spirals down in a deep depression. To get back to his true form, Eddie must find out who he really is, and just where his character lies.
Over the course of the film we really see Eddie develope into a great pool shark; as is evident in the end when he beats Minnesota Fats. Even though his girlfriend dies, he still perservers.
Atmosphere:
Pool fans and non-pool fans will love The Hustler not just for the pool but for the way really see the emergance of a true star.
Realism:
Warren’s Rating:
Other movies nominated for Best Picture with it:
Fanny, (1961); The Guns of Navarone, (1961); Judgment at Nuremberg, (1961);
*West Side Story, (1961)
7.71/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
01-10-03
