Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Red-Barracuda This sequel to The Hustler (1961) was directed by Martin Scorsese. It's not necessarily the most typical type of film you may expect from him. It was in fact one that he did for the studio and was not one of his more personal efforts. By working on a commercial project like this, Scorsese then had leeway to make his next film, the ultra-personal and controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Consequently, because this wasn't material he was fully passionate about, it's not so surprising that this isn't amongst his best work. That said it is still a good film. Scorsese still manages to employ much of his typical energetic style into the flow of things, making even the game of pool pretty dynamic to watch.The film is maybe even better known for its acting though, with Paul Newman returning to play an older version of the character Fast Eddie Felson who last appeared in The Hustler twenty-five years previously. His character now manages young hustlers like he once was and, in doing so, takes a huge slice of their winnings. It's a role-reversal for the character and Newman is once again very good, although despite the Oscar win, he was even better in The Hustler. Tom Cruise plays off him as the cocky youngster in a type of role that we've seen him perform many times in fairness. He is good enough though and the two actors do work off each other well. The dynamic between them is reasonably predictable to an extent with a plot arc where their relationship starts off shaky, gets worse then finally clicks. But, off course, success breeds complications. Events do ultimately reach an unusual and ambiguous conclusion, which I wasn't too sure about personally but at least it ended things on a less obvious note.

gpachovsky I wanted to like this movie. I really did. When I heard that it was a sequel to THE HUSTLER, one of my all-time favourite movies, and directed by Martin Scorsese, I had to see it. Sadly, the result was a disappointment, hardly a sequel in the truest sense of the word. Sure, its main character is a pool player named Eddie Felson and he is played by Paul Newman, just as in the first film. Okay, up to that point. But beyond that, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that young Eddie Felsen and the older, more mature Eddie Felsen is even the same person. Too many background details are either forgotten or ignored, not the least of which was his thrashing of Minnesota Fats, an expert pool player who remained undefeated for more than fifteen years, making him the man to be reckoned with. Surely that is the stuff of legend – at least among pool players who take the game seriously – yet no one seems to even be aware of it in the second movie. In fact, the name Minnesota Fats doesn't even enter the conversation. Nor is it explained what turns Felson's life took after his acrimonious split with manager Bert Gordon (George C. Scott, in the original) who vowed that he would never shoot big-time pool again. And Eddie lives alone now. Does he ever have any regret about the shabby way he treated his girlfriend (Piper Laurie) who was driven to suicide and best friend (Myron McCormack) who he dumped along the way in his incessant drive to be the best?Such questions deserve at least a nodding reference, but none come into play and what we are left with is a fairly standard story of a liquor salesman (Newman) who occasionally plays pool and decides to mentor a young gun, Vincent (Tom Cruise), to hustle high-stakes games and split the take. Inevitably the two must square off to find out who is best.Newman is okay here, though hardly the electrifying performer we have come to expect over the years. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is good as Carmen, Vincent's girlfriend who likes the excitement of being around him and around the pool halls. But Tom Cruise, as the young hotshot with the pool stick, quickly becomes annoying with his excessive brand of cockiness.On its own, THE COLOR OF MONEY is well enough made and not without interest, but as a sequel it misses the mark by a wide margin.

krycek19 I can't believe this snooze-fest is actually made by Martin Scorsese of all people.It's about people playing pool for money in bars and in actual official tournaments as if it was baseball.You think it sounds boring? Watching paint dry would be more exciting.Nothing happens for an hour and a half. All the characters are unlikeable and the performances are awful and the actors seemed as bored as the audience. The only thing about the movie that was enjoyable was Tom Cruises ridiculous hair and his even worse clothes.I don't care if Paul Newman was one of those great actors from the good old days. And I don't care if Scorse made Cape Fear (his masterpiece) 5 years later. Both Newman and Scorsese suck with this movie.And to make it worse I hate Mary Elizxabeth Mastrantonio. The woman with the most ridiculous last name whose career ended sometime after The Abyss.Avoid this stinker. Especially if you like Tom Cruise.

writers_reign Like the man said sequels rarely equal let alone eclipse the original and this is no exception. We are, of course, comparing a glitzy colored movie replete with 'fancy' set ups, with a gritty black and white original that was happy to rely on the performances to 'sell' it, and secure in the knowledge that it had the performances nailed. There was also the tempo, leading up to the final showdown between Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fats - the very same technique employed - with equal success - in The Cincinnati Kid - where everything is leading to the showdown between the Kid and Lancey, the 'Man'. Clearly we can't do that here, otherwise Newman would have to double as Fast Eddie AND Minnesota Fats. On the other hand it is watchable, even although the vastly overrated Scorcese will never be as good as Rossen.