The Hustler

Rating: 9/10 (13 December 2016)

This film genuinely surprised me. I watched it out of curiosity since it appeared to be about a man playing pool and conning his opponents, but it turned out to be more than that. The cast all gave great performances and it was realistic in that it was believable. Newman gave a superb performance as a guy who was talented but too arrogant and not to bright in a way.
This film had a pretty simple plot but the cast really brought it to life and gave great performances that saved the film. At first glance, "The Hustler" would appear to be about a man hustling pool with aid of a mentor and his girl. But the film was able to portray a story of a man conflicted on a much deeper level than one expects. Newman shows how morals are challenged and on a level, what it means to be a man. The film is more than meets the eye.
The director gives us a pretty depressing story, but it was a great "noir drama". The film had the dark lighting and conflicted main male character with his femme fatale diverting him off his course. This film was able to capture much more than a movie of pool and I was not disappointed watching it. I would recommend this film. It was in a way your typical noir film, while being very different from typical.