He hustles fast and loose

Rating: 9/10 (29 May 2012)

Eddie Felson likes to play pool fast and loose. He challenges a long-time, undefeated champion Minnesota Fats for a game. As Eddie leads the game , he gets tipsy and lacks concentration on the game and loses all the money he made in the previous rounds. He's penniless after the game, loses his manager, goes on drinking bouts and falls for a woman. His performance plummets to the lowest ebb and he gets into an agreement with Minnesota Fats' manager, Bert Gordon, who sees great potential in making money from Eddie than an aging Fats. Gordon gets him games, helps him make a fortune, only to take a larger portion of the returns. Gordon tries to take advantage of Eddie's girlfriend and she commits suicide due to embarrassment. Eddie, determined to get himself emancipated from the clutches of Gordon beats Fats in a marathon; beats him over and over again until Fats declares the end of the game. Eddie refuses to pay up his hard-earned money to a bookie but Gordon threatens him and after heated arguments, Gordon orders Eddie not to play another game of pool if he wanted his limbs to be a part of his body and Eddie agrees and keeps the money.
If there's someone who could play an inebriated man perfectly in every movie, it has to be Paul Newman. George C.Scott's performance was equally good. The movie was rightly awarded the Best art-direction and cinematography Oscars.