Exploring talent, character and masks

Rating: 7/10 (17 June 2016)

The Hustler follows "Fast" Eddie Felson, a pool hustler with personal problems. Perhaps it is because I am too used to modern movies about people with talents, but I found it refreshing how little the movie attempt to explain the activity (here: pool). We see some of the shots they make, but the movie is never about pool itself. It just happens to be the venue used to explore something different: the relationship between a person's talent, his character, and the facade he puts on.
The highlight of the movie is probably the performances, combined with some great dialogue. The latter is likely not realistic, but it's gripping, and a delight to listen to. Paul Newman shines in his role as a conflicted winner and/or loser, and Gleason excels in portraying a man that is both capable, proud and talented, but also a subordinate coward.
I love how the movie opens. You hardly get any background information about the characters, but are allowed a feel of them seeing Eddie first doing his regular hustling, then attempting to beat a famous rival. Had the rest of the movie been able to be as thrilling as these, the movie would have been one of my all time favorites. Sadly, I think much of the remainder of the movie is notably weaker, especially some of the scenes showing him building a relationship. Many of the scenes are delightful, but some feel excessive, not really taking the story anywhere. The performances are good, and as mentioned there are some really sweet and funny scenes between them. And the relationship between the two is important, and ties into the other themes of the movie.
It's a recommended movie, even though it might not feel as relevant today as it once did.