INTRODUCTION
When I first saw The Hustler on TCM, the 1961 pool hall drama starring a young Paul Newman alongside legends like Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, and George C. Scott, I was rather impressed. I loved its mustiness, Kenyon Hopkin's snazzy score, and the knockout performances by all, and I shall hopefully get around to taking a stab at The Hustler at a later date. So when I learned of a sequel, decades later, but helmed by the one, the only, the cinematic titan Martin Scorsese, my curiosity was more than just peaked. And so I come today to divulge my thoughts on the story of Paul Newman, back at it again as now former hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson, his surprise protégé Tom Cruise, and Cruise's girlfriend, the fiery Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in Scorsese's 1986 flick, The Color of Money.
PROS
So there's is a lot to unpack with this film. Does Newman still have it in him to bring back to life the "Fast Eddie" Felson character? How does Scorsese fair directing the whole thing, considering how he regarded himself as but a "hired gun" on the project? And can Tom Cruise create a similar kind of kinetic character that Newman once played? The answer is yes to pretty much all three. Paul Newman earned his Oscar the year The Color of Money came out, for he not only brings back the fire of his bustling character, but blends him with the man's age in the film, showing us a Felson who has the benefit of age, yet still maintains the spirit of his younger self. Tom Cruise also nails that same fire with his character Vince, a young hustler that Felson happens across in a bar. And the pair's chemistry is incredible, an explosive relationship that could only come from the meeting of these hustling personalities. A special mention has to be made to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio for her role as Carmen, Vince's girlfriend. A character full of equally explosive work with a sultry edge, Mastrantonio is true treat whenever on screen. The backbone of this all is, naturally, the screenplay, written by Richard Price. This script is loaded with tight dialogue and fine set pieces. It's the kind of screenplay that allows for things to seemingly just happen, yet build upon previous scenes, as opposed to other films where scenes just happen yet build to nothing. It also handles the parallels between Vince and Felson well, namely by not being reliant on you having seen The Hustler, but by making that trait a helpful advantage. The way it is handled is best described as what I found in a review on IMDb, likening the character work and the development of the troubled Felson to the age-old issue of relatablity, in which your parents say they were just like you as a kid, but you're not having any of it.
Now, with Scorsese, he is solid in his direction as ever, allowing for the vitriolic relationship between the two to fill the screen, as well as capture the musty feel of the original film, now accentuated via the style of 80s culture. Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, with whom Scorsese has collaborated with on After Hours and Goodfellas amongst other films, brings sweeping pans and a neon tinge to the smoky aura about the billiard hall, as well as some brilliant closeup footage from the balls' perspectives. Enhancing the fine camerawork of Ballhaus is Thelma Schoonmaker's fine editing. She brings two styles to cutting the film; misty dissolves further hammering home the atmosphere about the pool table, and switchblade-sharp cuts heightening the tensions between the characters, and tensions during the games. Another little touch to the film are the songs splayed across the soundtrack, which are also very fascinating in that they enhance the atmosphere by simply being of or around the time. It's like some left a radio on while some of the games are going, and it works very well, adding a certain touch of reality. It's nowhere near the coordination of say Goodfellas's soundtrack, but definitely another effective Scorsese touch. But this film doesn't quite have all the balls in the rack.
CONS
Alright, as much as I love the songs in The Color of Money, the original score by former "The Band" member Robbie Robertson is nothing above passable. It's just the fact that it kind of loiters about the film, never quite adding to it or taking away, that just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. This isn't a con per say, for it doesn't really harm the film, so much as an observation. But anyway you slice it, not the strongest effort. However, there is a slightly larger issue at hand with The Color of Money, and that surprisingly has to do with Scorsese's direction. There's a reason I said "pretty much" in response to my three questions. While Scorsese's directing serves it's purpose and is pretty good, it lack's one thing: bite. The life of a hustler like Felson is a devastating life, chronicled to a T in The Hustler. Scorsese seems ripe to craft a similar sort of feeling, considering his wonderfully nasty work on films like Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. Yet here, there's fine acting to pull off that edge, fine camerawork to pull off that edge, and heck, fine EDITING to pull off that edge, but Scorsese just doesn't seem to go all the way. And this is probably due to the fact that this wasn't a "Scorsese" film per say, it was a "Touchstone Picture" directed by Martin Scorsese. It's the fact that this film isn't a personal piece like so much of Scorsese's other works that makes it feel so distant. But the fact of the matter is, Scorsese is still a fantastic director, so the film doesn't suffer as much as it should from the slight detachment from the project.
CONCLUSION
With exquisite production values, a more-than-serviceable script, and an admirable cast, The Color of Money proves a fantastic film showcasing the evolution of one of Newman's most memorable parts from the 1960s, and a stellar story of a divide between the young and the old. While the soundtrack isn't all together, and it is clear that this wasn't quite a film Scorsese had in mind prior to being brought on, the film never suffers too much for it, ultimately yielding a fine sequel that stands well enough on its own to a superb drama. Highly recommended for those who enjoyed The Hustler but are willing to enjoy the film away from its predecessor, and fans of any one of the fine cast and crew members. An all-round underrated gem.
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