isn't out yet on that one though. But I was in awe of this movie even before I took an interest in writing. The images of Newman, are so powerful to me, taking a hold of my mind with an encapsulating effectiveness. As I took new interest in a story that would have otherwise board me, I saw a man attempting to hold onto his own life in the process. He, a business man and a hustler, a sensitive lover and still a player, but faithful to all, how rare. There was this since of him being strong and a fighter and yet at a moment in weakness, but also reflective wiseness, that came through. He was attempting to not lose his handle on a large piece of his life. A passion, and a honed Career-hobby all in one. He loved his work, and struggled to reach a young upstart, named Vincent a rousing hot-head, with a propensity for blowing it, because of needed ego-strokes. A hard head with ability, but in need of mentoring to save him from himself. 'The Color of money' for me is a man trying not to lose himself in a vastly enveloping world. He is trying to stay alive. He's attempting to keep his life 'in play'. So that he doesn't die a career and identity 'self esteem' death on the side. The 'Color of Money' is a seminal work. It's brilliant and pleasing with a sense of accomplishment. If you haven't seen this one, find the DVD. I rate it a 10 for excellence. ****

couldn't help but love them, plus Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is excellent as Cruise's girlfriend. The pool match between Newman and Cruise was excellent! and dare I say Cruise deserved an Oscar nomination??, plus this should be much higher then 6.8 in my opinion. I actually felt bad when Forest Whitaker's character hustled Eddie, and Martin Scorsese did a masterful job of directing as always, plus it's actually very unpredictable throughout, as I had no clue on what was going to happen next!.This is one of Cruise's best performances, and I was so impressed with how Newman, was able to play Eddie so easily after not playing him since the 60's with the Hustler, plus I think this film is quite underrated myself!. For a sequel, you can't get much better then this, and all the characters were extremely likable, plus Cruise's likable cockiness was perfect for this part!. It's extremely well made and written, and I thought the dialog was awesome, plus it had some great emotional scenes as well. Newman's teaching tactics were a bit confusing at times, however they were still great, and while it can't quite match the suspense of The Hustler, it still had plenty of it, plus it would be really cool if they made a follow up to this! with Newman and Cruise attached to star. The music was great, and Newman's final line at he end put a big grin on my face! plus Cruise also had excellent chemistry with Mastrantonio!. This is not as good as the hustler, but still a top notch sequel in my opinion, with a fantastic story and brilliant performances, and I say Go see it now, if you loved The Hustler, you will most likely will love this, just go in with low expectations.The Direction is masterful!. Martin Scorsese does a masterful job here as always, with wonderful camera work, and just keeping the film at an extremely engrossing pace.The Acting is indeed Oscar worthy in my opinion!. Paul Newman is incredible here, just like he was in The Hustler, he truly deserved his Oscar, just like he did in The Hustler also, and he is able to match his incredible performance, as well, he also had wonderful chemistry with Cruise, had some fantastic lines , had some brilliant scenes with Cruise, and while his character was a bit of a jerk I just couldn't help but love him, as he was extremely likable! Newman Rules!!!!!! . Tom Cruise is amazing as always, and is also incredible here, he truly deserved at least an Oscar nomination,in my opinion, he also had wonderful chemistry with Newman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, was likably cocky, as always had loads of charisma, and made some pretty wicked shots!, and did wonderful in his emotional&anger scenes,and while his character was a jerk like Newman's I also couldn't help but love him! Cruise Rules!!!!!!!!! . Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was wonderful here, and while she may or may not have deserved her Oscar for best supporting actress, she was very sexy, and had wonderful chemistry with Cruise, I really liked her!. Helen Shaver is good as Newman's girlfriend I dug her. John Turturro is good as the dick Julian, and was convincing. Forest Whitaker is good in his cameo as Amos he was great. Rest of the cast do fine.Overall Go see it immediately if you loved The Hustler like I did, you shouldn't regret it!, just go in with low expectations and don't expect the original. ***** out of 5

Excellent and lasting blues score. I used to think this lost focus a little towards the end, now I'm not as sure. Either way, it still seems like a realistic and a most entertaining look at the world of pool hustling. 10 out of 10

makeup. Time had done a better job than any makeup man could have done. Time had also honed his acting abilities so that he could realistically recreate one of his classic characters in an older generation.One thing about The Color of Money is that can and does stand independently of The Hustler. You do not have to have seen the earlier film to know what's happening here. Nevertheless in that earlier film, promising new pool player Eddie Felson does not take direction from mobsters who effectively end his career before he gets it firmly on track.Fast forward from 1961 to 1986 and Paul Newman is now a liquor salesman who hangs around poolrooms in tank towns and dreams what might have been. A young kid with a 'sledgehammer break' gets Newman's attention and its Tom Cruise. He's got a girlfriend, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio with him and the three sort of adopt each other. It's a complicated relationship between all three of them and all three of them manage to convey the many ups and downs of this triangle. Newman teaches Cruise the tricks of the trade including how to tank a game occasionally to bring up the betting odds. In many ways Cruise learns too well and Newman hanging around with him makes him realize just how much he's missed because of the gangland blackball.Reportedly Newman and Cruise got along splendidly during the making of The Color of Money. Their joint interest in auto racing cemented a very good working relationship.Paul Newman was also nominated during the eighties for Absence of Malice and The Verdict which are two of my favorites with him. Unfortunately in the first he was up against Henry Fonda who had been similarly snubbed for years by the Academy and was dying during the Oscar voting. The second time Ben Kingsley portrayal of the title role in the massive blockbuster Gandhi obscured what I think is Newman's finest performance in The Verdict.Though the Oscar was an Oscar for lifetime of work, The Color of Money is a worthy sequel to The Hustler. Martin Scorsese got great performances out of the whole cast. And Paul Newman finally got a matching Oscar to go with the one Joanne Woodward won for The Three Faces of Eve for their mantelpiece.

sweetness and light tho.It's a fine film when looking at it now, and I was amazed that it didn't feel like an 80s film as such, and this is down to the cracking direction of Martin Scorsese, it may be one of his most mainstream commercial offerings but his fine work is there for all to see. The camera glides around as if on air to create joyous results, shots that put the pool action right into the conscious of the viewer, it's a great effort. The film is further boosted by two wonderful performances from the leading men, Newman deserved his Oscar for putting such verve and honesty into the now grizzled Felson, there is a scene with Forest Whitaker that is Newman gold without him hardly having to say anything . Then there is Cruise, all big hair and a ball of adrenaline, a great ebullient show that is great fun to watch. I read somewhere that Newman praised Cruise for capturing the essence of a young Eddie Felson, well you can't say fairer than that. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio more than holds her own with the boys and fleshes out a smart and entertaining film that seems to get better with age, just like Felson funnily enough.Oh he's back alright, 9/10.

watching this movie you don't go to the local pool hall for a beer and saunter around the table humming "Werewolves of London", you just don't get it. Also have to note the unforgettable line uttered by Forrest Whitaker after embarrassingly beating the hustler at his own game; "Hey Eddie, can i ask you a question? Do you think i need to lose some weight?" Priceless. Four huge stars.

opened in 1986, the critics and audiences didn't think much of it. It garnered decent praise from both areas but most critics seemed to agree: it didn't hold a candle to "The Hustler," and anyone other than Scorsese could have easily made the same picture.After 19 years, I disagree. I think "The Color of Money" is not only an intelligent and amusing character piece, but an excellent continuation of a character we haven't seen for 25 years.First of all, Scorsese's direction isn't his best, but it's still very good. And he's definitely got the same elements going on as "After Hours" from a few years before -- his cinematography is identical and the dark colors and grainy '80s vibe are present in every frame. Likewise he's using the quick-cuts and zooms and iconic panning shots that he's known for. The thing is, Scorsese's styles just changed a bit during the 1980s they even carried on into "GoodFellas" -- the night-time shots carry the same foreboding look as "After Hours" and "Color of Money" . I think now, looking back, since we've seen more of Scorsese's films, it's easier to notice that this is indeed a Martin Scorsese film. A man who is constantly changing his directorial approach. Just look at "The Aviator" for goodness sake! Newman deserved the Oscar more for "The Hustler," of course, but for what it's worth, Fast Eddie Felson's evolution is handled with care in the script and it's very entertaining for anyone who's seen the original to note the change in his behavior. It's also interesting to see the new cocky pool hustler, Vince Tom Cruise , filling in the shoes of Eddie from a few decades before.If "The Hustler" was a great insight into the life of a troubled young man, then "The Color of Money" is a terrific insight into the evolution of this man, and the contrast between the young and the old. All adults tell us as children that they were just like us at one time, and we don't believe them. "The Color of Money" follows this principal -- in thirty years, we all know Vince will be just like Fast Eddie: wise and matured. And then he'll probably be coaching a young guy who thinks he's the king of the world. Will they make another sequel based on this continuation of the story? I doubt it. It's unnecessary, because as far as I'm concerned "The Color of Money" has already stressed the point. But you never know...Overall this isn't a great movie and I won't pretend it is. But I do think it's one of the better films to come out of the 1980s and had a lot more going for it than some of the critics gave it credit for. Film buffs should see it, especially those who loved "The Hustler."

makes an important decision.Though not as strong a film as "The Hustler," "The Color of Money" is still an excellent film with a great cast led by Newman, at the peak of his "older man" good looks and the brilliant acting he's always had. And, as usual, he tells you everything you need to know about a character. It's clear that he was content with his life and his attractive girlfriend Helen Shaver until he saw Vince. Then the old restlessness and competitiveness came creeping back into his blood.Seeing Tom Cruise in 1986 is startling since today, the lower half of his face has changed drastically due to plastic surgery. Here he conveys the raw, youthful energy that helped make him a star. Like many successful movie actors, he has a wonderful physical agility. His pompadoured Vince is a short-tempered, jealous, talented ingrate who can't help showing off. Cruise is very effective, as is Mary Elizabeth Mastroantonio as his sultry, beautiful girlfriend in another role she made memorable in the '80s.Beautifully directed by Scorcese, "The Color of Money" shows that it's never too late to follow your dreams and, with the right actors and the right script, you can do a good sequel even 25 years after the original.

Vincent's streetwise girlfriend Carmen Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are making their way to Atlantic City where a 9 Ball pool tournament awaits. Along they way Eddie tries to teach them how to hustle pool. This will be a problem because of course the cocky youngster won't do as he's told. He has a gift and knows it. It is simply impossible for him to hold back and let someone beat him. Even when it could lead to a bigger payoff down the road. His girlfriend Carmen also seems to see both Vincent and Eddie as a way to make money for herself. She is clearly a woman with motives all her own. Of course this will all lead up to a climatic match in Atlantic City between the old master and the young protégé, won't it? Well, it appears to for a moment, until we learn that what we saw wasn't really what it appeared to be.And that's the part of the film that seemed to really irk Roger Ebert in his review. He was expecting a masterpiece of a film for no other reason than Martin Scorcese is the director. But the film isn't a masterpiece. Its simply a very good film with some great performances, great music, and some gritty and authentic-looking locations. Who is the better pool player is the last thing this film is about. This is a film about people using other people. Be it for money, inspiration, comfort, you name it. Newman plays Felson here as a gruff, seasoned man who thinks he knows everything about the game, and those who play it. He finds out as the film moves along that is not always the case. Sometimes these younger players have new tricks up their sleeves, and if you let your guard down, they will hustle even the smartest old timer. There is a classic scene where Eddie, after a few too many drinks, allows a chubby and apparently dim-witted Forest Whitaker to take him for hundreds of dollars. The film is full of scenes that end in ways you don't quite expect.This is one of those movies where above all else, the casting was almost perfect. Newman is as watchable as ever. Mastrantonio steals a few scenes. Cruise is annoying of course, but he was supposed to be. Still, he looks kind of weak compared to the other actors. Great support from Helen Shaver and Bill Cobbs, too. Watch closely for an appearance from music icon Iggy Pop. During a montage, Cruise hustles him and then steals a shot of booze right out of his hand! The cinematography from Michael Ballhaus is great as always. In fact its too good! Some of the camera shots just look too stylish for such a film. Maybe that was Scorcese's way of trying to liven up a picture with so little violence! Overall, The Color of Money is worth your time. 8 of 10 stars.The Hound