The Soft Hustle

The Soft Hustle is a movie I would have inadvertently picked up at Kim's Video back in the day, brought home, and thoroughly enjoyed. Although director and actors may not be all that well known, the woven story line and rough, 'yeah, so what?' film making attitude makes for a great movie. The Soft Hustle brings you straight into the Lower East Side bar scene where one night stands, drugs, fighting, and of course, hustling are the norm. I like the title because anything can be a hustle, whether it's getting someone to buy you a drink, trading art, getting laid, or selling guns out of a trash bag on the street. These things are constantly happening throughout the film and all fall under the umbrella of the title of the movie. One of my favorite characters is the bartender, who is a womanizer to the fullest extent. He is all talk n bullshit and even has his prostitute girlfriend believing that he's a saint until she finally gets fed up with him and flips out on his life (one of the best scenes/performances in the movie). Ethan Minsker's filmmaking is very reminiscent of Jim Jarmusch. His camera work and the way he chose to use New York personalities instead of established actors. Jarmush did this as well when he picked Tom Waits and John Lurie for Down by Law. Minsker's writing also reminds me of Hal Hartley in that both directors seem interested in the inner workings of male/female relationships. He portrays conversations extremely realistically, and they come off appearing unscripted. The Soft Hustle is a movie I would highly recommend. I look forward to watching more Ethan Minsker films.