Wheez's Vintage Movie of the Week- The Hustler

The Hustler follows “Fast” Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) as he hustles his way through pool halls on his path to become the greatest pool shark in the country by taking on and beating the great Minnesota Fatts.  The film (1961) comes from a different era of filmmaking, which is a bit of an adjustment, but one thing that transfers across any era is great acting and an intriguing character study.

Paul Newman is incredible in this film.  The story follows his character and his bull-headed resolve to become the greatest pool player in the country no matter the costs… and there are great costs.  So, just from the premise alone, you know Newman’s going to be on screen a lot.  Compounding that is the era of filmmaking in which this story takes place.  There are large gaps between cuts and a lot of shots that solely consist of following Paul Newman as he does something as mundane as walking from a train station locker to the bar, ordering a drink, and walking over to a table to sit down.  This type of direction would tend to be boring and would be blasted if it were done today, but Newman is so good and so interesting, that you hardly notice the simple direction when you’re watching.  It is literally easy, better still, preferable, just to watch him on screen rather than cutting away (and I have no physical attraction to the guy, so just think how the ladies must feel!)

Aiding Newman’s great performance is his very interesting character, “Fast” Eddie Felson.  What makes this character so interesting is, ironically, the simplicity of him.  The filmmakers establish early on and very clearly what this character’s need is:  to be the best.  It’s that simple, but knowing that simple motivation allows the audience a window into the character’s mind when he faces a dilemma. We (the audience) know throughout the entire story what drives Eddie so we can understand that every action, every word he utters comes into context with that motivation.  Every mistake he makes, makes sense to us because we know why he does it. We can appreciate his mistakes because there’s nobility in being true to yourself in spite of all the chips stacked against you.  We (the audience) get that and can relate to that struggle, which makes for a very intriguing, interesting character and a great launching pad for character growth.

Despite the great character, the story does stall slightly in the middle, which I attribute to the romance in the story.  I’m not opposed to romance, but it just seems forced in the context of this story.  It seems like the story hops off its linear path and on to a side street to set up this romantic relationship, only to pick up right where it left off and use this relationship as another opposing force for Eddie.  In the end, it pays off, but I think it could have been set up better and more efficiently so as not to pull so much focus from the main storyline.

That small critique aside, the story is written very well.  There is a great arc to it and the character development is fantastic.  In some parts, the story skips ahead in time (mostly from the start of a pool match to its conclusion).  I let this pass for two reasons:  the story introduces what hustling pool is in its first two pool scenes so there’s no need to keep beating a dead horse by showing it over and over again and, also, it’s pool- not exactly a spectator sport, so go ahead and skip some pool to keep the story moving. 

Also, the dialogue is great.  It’s very punchy with many witty quips back and forth between pool sharks or Eddie and his romantic interest.  The only exception to the great dialogue is when some exposition is forced into the story.  There are definitely times when you hear a few lines and just think, “Well, you had to get it in there, I guess you just bit the bullet and spit out all that bland exposition you needed to.” Other than that, though, there's great dialogue that adds to the story and helps build the characters.

Overall, The Hustler is a very enjoyable film about a very interesting and very well acted character.  The subject matter may seem a little dry to some, but the film does a great job of focusing on the characters so as to keep the story entertaining and interesting.  Should you watch it?  Well, it was good enough to warrant a sequel directed by Martin Scorsese (The Color of Money with Newman and Tom Cruise), so what do you think? (Just to be clear, I think you should rent it.)

If you like this, check out:  Color of Money, Wrestler, or Crazy Heart

Scale: 

1-  Lots of Better Movies at Blockbuster   

2-  Might Be Worth Renting If You’re Bored

3-  Rent It When You Get to It

4-  A Must Rent, at some point

5-  Put It in Your Queue NOW!

My Rating: 4

Buy The Hustler (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)