The Hustler

One of those movies that caught me off guard, even after seeing it on all of these coveted lists. A truly deep film that is more than just an arc. Excellent character exposition and a wonderful exploration of flawed people.

This isn't a simple movie about a pool shark. It's about art: the positive and negative surrounding and influencing it, and the creator being so Zen that they become more than part of it's creation - good or bad, they become the art itself.

The pool sequences between Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fats are startlingly good, and it's quite impressive to see the stars doing some of their own shots. Newman is such a star, but I was struck most by Laurie's haunting, sad performance as Sarah. There's a raw energy she brings to the movie that is not of its time, and her arc over the course of the movie is heartbreaking.

It's not a happy film about a pool shark that hustles folks for the big triumphant win at the end. It's a dark, kind of depressing look at the addiction a lifestyle like this can cause, an addiction that can ruin your life and those around you. Paul Newman deserved the Oscar that year.

Cine Paco: image 3.25 / 5 and sound 3/5 sound. Great movie about the world of billiards and ambition, many years without seeing it

Great B&W photography and wonderful scenes in the pool hall...but they should have never left the pool halls. The love story with Piper Laurie just wasn't interesting and detracted from an interesting concept. Not my cup of tea.

A man is dedicated to betting in billiards.

For as cool as Paul Newman is, I was surprised how the movie is truly about how shitty Fast Eddie is. “A born loser” by destined choice as he descends into self destruction and addiction and can never see the moments that he actually won. Great performances all around and a fascinating co-dependent romance that from the jump is on a one way path to destruction.