Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

Purely Joyful Movie!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is almost the perfect movie. The economy of scenes, spoken lines and the beautiful photography all work together to tell the story about a man who has to learn what it means to be a human being. It requires the sacrifice of a woman who truly loves him to wake this guy up to what kind of world he created for himself. This movie should be required viewing for every 12 year old girl in the world so they can be exposed to the type of people George C Scott played in this film that are really out there in the real world.

THE HUSTLER is a sport drama about a bitter life and an unscrupulous competition. Film is based on Walter Tevis novel of the same name.A small-time pool hustler travels cross-country with his partner and earns, on fraud, some money. His attitude and his big mouth forcing him to challenge the legendary player "Minnesota Fats". A challenger and legend finally meet each other. Straight pool duel can begin. Their game attracts the attention of a professional gambler. The young challenger has, despite a noticeable talent, lost the match. He leaves his partner and he meets, at the local bus terminal, a girl, who is an alcoholic supported by her father, attends college part-time, and walks with a limp. They start a strange relationship. However, the pool hustler wants again to challenge a famous rival. His talent does not seem sufficient, he needs a strong character...A restless, irritable and evil protagonists are perfectly integrated into a dark atmosphere. Their greed for a fame and money has ruled out any form of love and nobility in this film. The plot is brisk and exciting. Every word or move is full of passion and has its price.Paul Newman as Eddie Felson is a passionate and violent pool hustler. The protagonist, who is, at one point, on the top of his life goal, and then drops down until he touches the bottom. He was intoxicated with his ambition. The loss of a loved person and a bitter life knowledge are his brutal sobering. Mr. Newman has offered a quite good performance. Piper Laurie as Sarah Packard is his girlfriend, who has lost in her unclear past. However, when Eddie comes into her life, she revives her pathetic reality. She is a dominant character in one part of the film, in which she emphasizes their tragic fate. George C. Scott as Bert Gordon is an antagonist on duty. He is an evil which trades with feelings and souls. His performance is very convincing. Jackie Gleason (Minnesota Fats) is a cool as a legendary player. However, he has become a prisoner of his talent and money.Maybe this movie is a strong projection of the real world, which is complemented with a cynical reviews and a tragic-ironic end. The protagonists have condemned themselves to a bitter taste of life.

I love this film. It was the second film I saw starring Paul Newman. "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956) was the first, which is the biopic of legendary middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano. My older brother used to work in a billiards hall, and was a very good straight pool player as well. In straight pool, the table is larger and the pockets are smaller; which makes it quite difficult. It also makes you a much better player on a standard size table. In addition, a very close friend of mine's father played Willie Mosconi in an exhibition game. Mosconi, who was one of the greatest pool players of all time, does the one trick shot in the film (known as a masse shot). Other than that, Jackie Gleason (who is a brilliant player himself) and Paul Newman did all their own shots in the film.

There are so many great reviews of this amazing film (which easily belongs in the top 50 ever made) but I would like to point out two key scenes that no one seems to have really noticed that each show the incredible artistry of Paul Newman and Robert Rossen.First, the opening scene before the credits role and Kenyon Hopkins' incredible musical score begins when "Fast Eddie" and "Charlie" pull into the small Pennsylvania bar to hustle a few dollars.Next time you watch it check out the smile on Newman's face as he suddenly changes from wobbly drunk to absolutely confident, consummate pool hustler and makes that impossible shot (I've tried it 100 times with no luck). How can a momentary change in an actor's countenance constitute one of the of the great moments in film? I don't know, but Newman manages it here.He just smiles, he manages one of the most classic 5 mile stares ever, and doesn't even appear to notice the outcome. He KNOWS he made the shot before he even made it. Just that one moment is so brilliant every time I watch the film I play it through about 5 times before I go on.And then there is the great ending as the credits role and everyone vacates the pool room, one by one. Kenyon Hopkins should have won some kind of award for the music he provided for just that one scene.The final sax note and strummed guitar chord when the film stops rolling is like the end of a great symphony. A never to be matched ending to one of the greatest masterpieces ever in the history of American film making.