"The Hustler" (1961)

Earlier this month I got to see "Rounders", a movie about gambling, poker and the intensity behind it. Our long time reader, Septicor, recommended that I see "The Hustler". I really wasn't going to let a Paul Newman movie pass by me so easily. Luckily enough the movie popped up as Netflix suggested that I should also watch it. Now I know the rating scale on Netflix might not be super accurate, but it said I would rate this a 3.7/5. Not a bad mark at all. Than again, it thought "The Happening" was a 3/5 for me, so what does it know? Maybe it knows I like Marky Mark, this could be a problem.

A time not so long ago, the pool hall was the place to be, where all the cool cats hang. But along with all the cool cats, we have the pool sharks. One of the best sharks, Eddie "Fast" Felson (Paul Newman), is trying to make a name for himself. There is only one way of doing that, challenge the legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). But when the game goes sour and his life can't get any worse, Eddie needs to find himself and his confidence again. With the help of a ruthless manager, Bert Gordon (George C. Scott), Eddie tries to regain the skills he thinks he lost.

Fats and Eddie square off.

Although pool is the central focus in the movie, it does nothing more than just set the story up. The real entertainment comes from the characters and their development. When Eddie initially meets up with Sandra (Piper Laurie) right after losing to Fats for the first time, it's apparent that Eddie has lost most of his confidence. Sandra has the upper hand when they first meet up, she wears the pants at this time. She is in charge initially but this does change quickly once Eddie knows a little bit about her flaws. This really gives Eddie that confidence boost he needs and it shows in the way he plays. Eddie and Sandra's relationship is merely mirrored by the game of pool. I can't say much more about the two, the bulk of the movie is learning the behavioural habits of both of them.

And for this to really work the acting needed to be top notch. Which obviously knowing by my direction, it was exceptional. This was Paul Newman's best work, at least from what I've seen. The man can show emotion ranging from a cocky drunk winner to a desperate loser looking for any loose change. But right beside him, Laurie was equally amazing playing the 'lame college girl'. Her pathetic alcohol problem shows off why she is restored to settling with a lowly con-man. Laurie hides Sandra's secrets well. It was interesting to see former boxer, Jake LaMotta make a cameo as a bartender. Nice to put a face on him after watching his story in "Raging Bull".

Sandra may be changing Eddie, but for the better?

Another clever part of the movie is that at no time was there any narration to explain the story. It was all told by the characters and their subtly clues. More times than not do movies take us as dumb pawns that assume we won't know what's going on until there is blunt exposition spilling the beans. It is nice to watch a movie where I discover the story as the movie proceeds not by a narration or some sort of soliloquy. Again the characters play a heavy part in this, back stories are told in bits throughout the movie and clues are discovered as the movie goes on.

There is almost no similarities between "Rounders" and "The Hustler" at the beginning, besides the aspect of gambling. But what I found out is that the true link between them was the role of the character to the story. They weren't just people we watched for entertainment, instead they provided a lot of the story. That said, the acting was great and this lead to some of the most interesting characters I've seen yet. Though it isn't a movie I can suggest to anyone, it isn't even a movie I would normally watch. But I did still enjoy it, and maybe not for the right reasons.