Well Made, But VERY Depressing

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2006)

A stark, downbeat film, proof that Hollywood produced more in the late 1950s/early 1960s than just colorful Biblical spectacles and musicals.
Paul Newman stars as Fast Eddie Felsen, one of the roles that made him famous and for which he would win an Oscar when he reprised it over twenty years later in Martin Scorsese's "The Color of Money." We think of Newman as making his name playing romantic leads, but look at this body of work during this time period: "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Hustler," "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke." He actually excelled at playing renegades on the fringe, and he very often took on roles in which he was far from likable.
Piper Laurie (Oscar nominated) plays the doomed love interest. She wouldn't appear in a film again until 1976's "Carrie," for which she would also be nominated for an Oscar (that has to be some sort of obscure record). Standout performances come from Jackie Gleason, breaking his Ralph Cramden persona to play a slick rival pool hustler, and most notably George C. Scott, as Newman's oily manager.
Robert Rossen directs in the same gritty, sweaty style he brought to "All the King's Men," a style that works well for the milieu. The movie is very good, but it's such a downer that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth when it's over.
Grade: A-