one for the ages

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2008)

A definite classic. I saw this movie when it first came out, and have seen it in its entirety about 4 times since then. The movie remains great. It has three riveting performances by Newman, Gleason, and Laurie, and an absolutely stunning, in-your-face, all-time-great performance by George C. Scott.
I don't know if the movie should be classed as noir or not. It's not a crime drama. It is grittily realistic, and at the same time a very moral story. It takes personal tragedy for Newman as Fast Eddie to acquire a moral character, and that personal tragedy can be read as an allegorical comment on national values, on the values that Americans can be said to hold. So that the movie works on many levels, and those levels of meaning are all built on the inherently thrilling drama of competitive pool.
The movie is star-studded Hollywood at its greatest.