Scorcese's Finest

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 2007)

I know that calling Color of Money the finest film by American legend Martin Scorcese is controversial. A lot of people think it's one of his lesser works. But from the opening scene of this beautiful film we're treated to a masterpiece of American cinema which surpasses the Hustler in every way.
Twenty years after he had "the breaks put on" his pool career, Fast Eddie Felson is a successful liquor salesman wholesaling alcohol to bars in an unnamed Northern city. He's wealthy enough and happy enough with a his steady girlfriend. Then one day he meets an up and coming pool player Vincent, and his con-woman girlfriend Carmen.
Eddies life is transformed. He remembers that "money won is twice as sweet as money earned." He takes Vincent and Carmen under his wing, volunteering to fund and train them as they hit the road and play every pool hall between them and the pool championships in Atlantic City.
Paul Newman is masterful in this film. He gives us an Eddie who has transformed into the Bert/George C Scott character from The Hustler. He's a man who sees all the angles and who tries to train Vincent in how to earn money through pool hustling. Tom Cruise is brilliant as naive, cocky, headstrong Vincent, a phenomenal pool talent who can't seem to see the big money payout which Eddie wants him to go for. Vincent just wants to play great pool. Along the way they both go through transformations, especially Eddie who realizes that the life he thought he wanted wasn't what he actually wanted.
This is a brilliant film by an American master and it has a lot to say about ambition, desire, competition, and the lies we tell ourselves. Here we have three film giants: Scorcese, Newman, and Cruise each performing at the top of their game. Do yourself a favor and rent The Color of Money.