The Color of Money
United States
1986
119 Min
Color
English
Synopsis
Oscar-nominated in 1961 for his performance as pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler, Paul Newman won that award a quarter century later when he reprised the role in The Color of Money. At the end of The Hustler, Felson was banned for life from playing the game professionally. In the intervening years, he has become what the despicable George C. Scott was in the 1961 film: a front man for younger hustlers, claiming the lion’s share of the winnings. His latest “client” is arrogant young Tom Cruise, who is goaded into accepting Felson’s patronage by his avaricious girl friend Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Cruise learns not only the refinements of the game, but also the dirty trickery that will help him lure in the suckers. As Cruise becomes successful on these terms, Felson seethes with jealousy, hitting the bottle and carelessly allowing himself to fall victim to another hustler. He tells Cruise to get lost, and vows to make an honest comeback. It is inevitable from this point onward that the younger and the older player will square off in a game for the biggest stakes of all: Fast Eddie Felson’s self-respect. Both the original Hustler and The Color of Money were based on novels by Walter Tevis. —allmovie guide
Director
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese was born in New York City and soon developed a passion for cinema and a particular admiration for neo-realist cinema which inspired him and influenced his view or portrayal of his Sicilian heritage. After graduating from NYU Film School in 1966 and making a number of shorts, he shot his first feature-length film Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1968) with fellow student, actor Harvey Keitel, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker both of whom were to become long-term collaborators. Mean Streets followed in 1973 and provided the benchmarks for the ‘Scorsese style’. After Scorsese directed Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the trio was reunited for the dark journey of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. After New York, New York Scorsese released Raging Bull. The acclaimed biography of middleweight fighter Jake LaMotta was followed by exploration of fans as pariah in The King of Comedy, dark-comic dreams in After Hours and pool sharks in The Color of Money. Scorsese outraged some religious… read more
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Pavel Richardson
11Jan10
A big let down. It's not the acting, both Cruise and Newman are stellar performers when they want to be. I just feel like Scorsese's heart isn't into the material. This is more of a typical hero film for Cruise, than a deeply well made film for Scorsese. The lack of camera movements, and the wonderful colors usually in his movies, here seem dull and drained. Also it's a little bit of a bore.
Phil Worfel
16Dec09
It suffers some in comparison to The Hustler but Color of Money is a really great film in its own right. The performances all around are really tightly observed and the plot is exciting and surprising. A cool follow up the the Fast Eddie character.
Connor Wills
6Dec09
I love Paul Newman and some of the shots in this movie. But Tom Cruise is a total D Bag and only mildly successful in portraying one in this film. I agree with you Pierluigi Puccini that this is a "sequel to an undisputed classic."
Pierluigi Puccini
19Apr09
Sequel to an undisputable classic. Scorsese delivers a fine cocktail, great timing, photography, and performances, especially Paul Newman's "fast" Eddie Felson the one and only hustler, this time back for some more struggle against himself.
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By Byron Brubaker on June 1, 2009
Fast Eddie returns, at first very much like his old mentor Bert Gordon, he mainly counts on his talent for hustling psychologically now. Vince is the new cocky youngster with so much talent it manifests… read review
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