The Hustler

What is the point in giving up after just one failure...we have to move forward in life and not look back...this is the movie which in my opinion catapulted my favorite actor Paul Newman to super stardom...It is an adaptation from the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis which was published in 1959...the movie begins and ends with a game of pool...at the beginning we can observe that Eddie Felson ( Paul Newman) is a brash,over confident individual who wants to make a fast buck...he has a  showdown with Minnesota Fats ( Jackie Gleason) a seasoned professional who is calm and collected ,who teaches him a lesson or two in humility by soundly thrashing him during a game of pool...He befriends Sarah Packard ( Piper Laurie) who is dealing with her own demons...one thing i noticed about Eddie is that in spite of losing so much money he never gave up hope, he just kept soldiering on...the movie is also significant for Bert ( George C. Scott) ; three years before his hilarious turn in Doctor Strangelove...

 the cinematography is simply a treat to watch...when one watches it looks as if we are watching a noir movie of the 40's...the best part of the screenplay is that even after suffering a personal tragedy Eddie returned to the pool and vanquishes his former enemy... the movie portrays the human side of sportsmen,they too have feelings and are vulnerable to emotions...life is not about winning or losing,it is the process that takes place and what valuable lessons we have learnt after committing mistakes...

Paul Newman delivers a  landmark performance...Piper Laurie gives a performance that will be remembered for years to come...flawless direction... great background score...highly underrated and humiliated at the 1962 Oscars!!! this one is for the ages!!!