Delayed Reaction: The Hustler

The Pitch: Paul Newman as a pool hustler.

I was about to begin this by saying something like "For how big of a movie star Paul Newman was, I've seen very few of his movies". Then I thought about it, and that's a lie. Just in the past few years I've seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Slap Shot, Nobody's Fool, Twilight, and Message in a Bottle, not to mention Cars and Road to Perdition before that. What I mean to say is that I haven't seen much "peak Paul Newman". I've got "Old Man Paul" covered. There's a few obvious holes from his filmography that I need to fill and The Hustler is a good place to start.

I still don't know how to watch older movies. Or, rather, I'm still thrown off by the things I should be used to by now. Such as, this movie is in no hurry. Every scene has enough time to breathe. Too much time occasionally. I could definitely see a version of this cut down some that plays a bit better. Regardless, Paul Newman is rightfully praised for the role. "Fast Eddie" is engaging from the very beginning, and even at his most foolish, I bought his decisions as fitting with the character. I fully expected Jackie Gleason, as the infamous pool shark, to be the antagonist of the film. Instead, he's the chief advesary, but not the "bad guy". That would be George C. Scott, as the bettor willing to stake Eddie for his games then screw him over. The love story between Newman and Piper Laurie approached some interesting dynamics but turned to melodrama before it could become something substantial. It's a good movie. Newman makes it worth seeing if nothing else, and now I'm rather excited to see The Color of Money.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend