Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

fredroyer 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.

elvircorhodzic 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.

Lee Eisenberg One of Paul Newman's all-time great roles was that of pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in "The Hustler". It's a seedy world of pool halls and high-stakes gambling. Eddie's aim to be the best leads to some self-destructive actions, but he perseveres. Fine support comes from Piper Laurie - later known as the fanatical mom in "Carrie" - as a woman who gets Eddie to realize his full potential amid his damaged lifestyle, as well as George C. Scott, Murray Hamilton (Mr. Robinson in "The Graduate" and the mayor in "Jaws") and Michael Constantine (the patriarch in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"). I guess that we in the 21st century will be less inclined to admire Jackie Gleason's performance, given what we now know about him,* but it's still an intense role.The movie is not just about pool and the specific effects that it has on Eddie. There's the issue of what it means to be human: a tragedy forces Eddie to attain self-awareness. Another thing is that director Robert Rossen used the movie as a sort of confession. Much like how he named names to HUAC, Eddie figuratively sells his soul for prestige. It was one of the first movies to take this sort of an unvarnished look at ego-affirmation. One of the many movies that represented the new direction that cinema was taking in the 1960s.All in all, a true masterpiece. Maybe not Newman's greatest ever, but one that any movie buff owes it to himself/herself to watch.*In the book "Riders on the Storm", John Densmore recalls a time when Jim Morrison got charged with indecency. Jackie Gleason testified against him, as did Anita Bryant.

Easygoer10 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.