The Color of Money

Paul Newman reprised his role of Eddie Felson from "The Hustler" (1961), on all short lists of great movies, to star in "The Color of Money", a worthy sequel in the way "Rocky II" was to "Rocky" -- not a great movie, but very good.

Eddie, advancing in years, has apparently left the hustling circuit for a more respectable job as a liquor wholesalesman. On his route, he encounters a brash, obnoxious pool shark named Vincent (Tom Cruise) and his girlfriend (Mary Mastrantonio). Vincent has the talent, but not the brains or knowledge, to be another great hustler, so Eddie, his desire for the circuit reignited, offers to stake Vincent and teach him the ropes, in exchange for a substantial piece of the winnings. At first, Vincent's ego and obnoxiousness threaten his development, but he soon learns all of Eddie's tricks -- and a few of his own. By the time of the big tournament at the end of the movie, Eddie and Vince have split ways -- and find themselves on a collision course.

I just realized that "The Color of Money" is my favorite Tom Cruise movie, but not my favorite Paul Newman movie (which could well be "The Hustler"). I re-viewed this movie recently after a long discussion with some friends about the difference between a movie star and an actor, and the few living legends that are both (besides Newman, I'd include Jack Nicholson and Robert de Niro). As always, Newman, even with such a huge public persona, disappears into the role of the middle-aged grifter, heartbroken how far his game has fallen in the days since he left the pool hall circuit. But he also makes the other performers around him shine. Cruise's trademark cockiness shines through in Vincent. Besides Mastrantonio, one of my favorite actresses Helen Shaver turns in a nice performance as Eddie's girlfriend, and Forest Whitaker first appeared on my radar in his short time on screen.

The other star of the movie is the game. While Scorsese didn't make his movie into the character study of "The Hustler", he uses the pool tables and balls as a medium for many artistic scenes. If you are someone who enjoys looking at beautiful movies, you won't be disappointed. And there might even be some real pool players -- you never know...

The story is good, not great. "The Color of Money" is not cut from the same felt as "The Hustler", and does not try to be. It is a movie about pool, not a character study. I don't think I would be up to repeated viewings as frequent as "The Hustler", but it's a fine way to spend an evening watching Newman and Cruise shoot pool.

The Color of Money (1986)

The reputation of this films rides partly on its director, a mainstream Martin Scorsese, and on the previous film it bounces off of (and makes vague reference to), The Hustler. Key to both films is the astonishing Paul Newman, who holds his end of the stick and then some. The rest of the cast is purely in canned and competent support roles, or in semi-star roles by two young actors with some screen presence but no great subtle skill to match Newman's.

I'm speaking not only of Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio, who is forced to play the slightly tough, slightly sexy, generally submissive girlfriend, but also of Tom Cruise, who is brilliant at being "flakey" partly because he is in real life, from all accounts. You give Scorsese credit here for using the young actor in a role that matches his natural persona, in contrast to others, including Spielberg, who seem to make more of the actor than there is, and a certain falseness gets in the way. But this film uses the awkwardness and naive, boyish qualities of Cruise as a sudden pool shark really well.

What holds it all back? I think basically plot. I mean, it's fun to see the big hustle at play, and to get stung once or twice when things aren't what they seem. But we sort of know going in that that's the general plan, and then it happens. And it takes a long time happening...there are no (no) complications here, beyond pool and hustling. The romances, for what they are worth, a completely thin, and didn't have to be. The settings, all these great (great) poolhalls and small town joints are terrific, populated a little too perfectly by locals of all different stripes. The camera-work makes some fairly cinema verite footage make sense in the scenes, but not with either edge or lyricism.

This all sounds a little like I'm working hard to point out the flaws, and I must go back to where I started about Newman, and the basic strength of the aging pool player facing a change in his personal scenery. It's a canned affair overall. Well done, sure, but without the richness of the best of Scorsese's work, or the best of Hollywood, for that matter, including the preceding The Hustler, which you might see in a pairing with this one.

"Twenty five years ago, my career ended before it had even really started," Eddie Felson tells Vince, a young pool shark. No longer the cocky man he was in "The Hustler," Eddie (Paul Newman) in 1986 is retired from pool and a successful investor. When he spots hot-shot Vince (Tom Cruise), he decides to invest in him and take him on the road, with the goal of Vince winning a big pool tournament in Atlantic City. Along the way, Eddie confronts what he was and is no more and looks at the dreams he let die. When Vince is too foolish and strong-willed to take his advice, Eddie makes an important decision.

Though not as strong a film as "The Hustler," "The Color of Money" is still an excellent film with a great cast led by Newman, at the peak of his "older man" good looks and the brilliant acting he's always had. And, as usual, he tells you everything you need to know about a character. It's clear that he was content with his life and his attractive girlfriend (Helen Shaver) until he saw Vince. Then the old restlessness and competitiveness came creeping back into his blood.

Seeing Tom Cruise in 1986 is startling since today, the lower half of his face has changed drastically due to plastic surgery. Here he conveys the raw, youthful energy that helped make him a star. Like many successful movie actors, he has a wonderful physical agility. His pompadoured Vince is a short-tempered, jealous, talented ingrate who can't help showing off. Cruise is very effective, as is Mary Elizabeth Mastroantonio as his sultry, beautiful girlfriend in another role she made memorable in the '80s.

Beautifully directed by Scorcese, "The Color of Money" shows that it's never too late to follow your dreams and, with the right actors and the right script, you can do a good sequel even 25 years after the original.

25 years after Paul Newman starred as "Fast" Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961), he reprised his role and teamed up with another legend in Martin Scorsese to bring us The Color of Money (1986). Undoubtedly stylish and entertaining, it seems to lack the depth and atmospheric feel of "The Hustler". Cruise gives an honest but not terribly likeable performance as Vincent Lauria and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio does well with what she's given. I think the problem was some of the performances came off slightly cartoonish, though I suppose it's difficult to fully recapture the realism and magic that we had with "The Hustler", far and away one of the greatest films of the '60s. Scorsese takes a different approach here and allows his art of a filmmaker to shine through during the pool scenes, which are handled fairly artistically through innovative angles and shots (no pun intended). It's most certainly got style but the substance just wasn't what it could have been given where it's come from.

"Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) is an aging liquor salesman and retired billiards professional who spots the talent of a cocky young player Vincent (Tom Cruise) and offers to teach him to be an even better player. With his girlfriend Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), Vincent accepts the offer and the trio begins a long road trip touring many pool halls across the country, with Vincent winning and losing intentionally to create a specific reputation and to hustle more money than he would gain otherwise. Eventually Eddie also finds his long lost knack for the game.

Paul Newman's natural charisma carries the film with ease, but the movie is not without its problems. Tom Cruise's overflowing energy and self-confidence are an intentional part of his character's style, sure, but I feel he is overdoing the cockiness to the point of being just irritating. The third main character Carmen is left more in the background but Mastrantonio looks rather fragile for such a role, as the vibe I was getting from her character was more rough and experienced than the innocent-looking actress could convey. The supporting actors do a good job though, such as Forest Whitaker as an unexpectedly good pool shark Amos and John Turturro as an antagonistic rival to Eddie and Vincent.

Another thing that bothered me about the film was the restless camera-work. There is a lot of movement: turning, zooming, tracking, some quick cuts – something I found distracting. In certain scenes it works fine though, such as during the spinning long take of Vincent's game against Moselle (Bruce A. Young). The other pool playing scenes are mostly well done too, especially during the finale at the big tournament.

The Color of Money may not be Scorsese's best film by a long shot, but it is entertaining alright and contains some exciting billiards scenes, so fans of the game ought to check it out. The drama, namely the development of the relationship between young Vincent and the father figure-like Eddie works well enough too. 'A decent film, but no masterpiece' is my verdict.