The Color of Money

"The Hustler isn't what he used to be. But he has the next best thing. A kid who is."

1986 1h 59m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 1,594

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil. He meets talented but green Vincent Lauria and proposes a partnership. As they tour pool halls, Eddie teaches Vincent the tricks of scamming, but he eventually grows frustrated with Vincent's showboat antics, leading to an argument and a falling-out. Eddie takes up playing again and soon crosses paths with Vincent as an opponent.

“The Hustler isn't what he used to be. But he has the next best thing. A kid who is.”

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Cast

Paul Newman
Eddie Felson
Tom Cruise
Vincent Lauria
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Carmen
Helen Shaver
Janelle
John Turturro
Julian
Bill Cobbs
Orvis
Forest Whitaker
Amos
Keith McCready
Grady Seasons

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Richard Price
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Hustler Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Martin Scorsese, shot by Michael Ballhaus. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robbie Robertson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thelma Schoonmaker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Newman and Tom Cruise and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Martin Scorsese directs. Michael Ballhaus behind the camera. Robbie Robertson scores. Thelma Schoonmaker cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.8× over at the box office.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Part of the "The Hustler Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Martin Scorsese, shot by Michael Ballhaus. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Robbie Robertson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Thelma Schoonmaker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Paul Newman and Tom Cruise and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The Hustler isn't what he used to be. But he has the next best thing. A kid who is.".
10IMDB entry: tt0090863 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus
Original score: Robbie Robertson
Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker
Production design: Boris Leven
Costume design: Richard Bruno
Makeup / hair: Lillian Toth
Sound: Tom Fleischman
Stunt coordinator: Rick LeFevour
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,800,000
Box office: $52,293,982
Return: 379% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Color of Money (1986)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Hustler Collection

The Hustler is a 1961 movie directed by Robert Rossen. It tells the story of a young pool hustler, Edward "Fast Eddie" Felson, who challenges the legendary Minnesota Fats. The film was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. The Color of Money is a 1986 film directed by Martin Scorsese. It continues the story of "Fast Eddie" from the first film, with Newman reprising his role as Fast Eddie. The film begins more than 25 years after the events of the previous film, with Eddie retired from the pool circuit.

Also by

Martin Scorsese

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-09
★ 7/10
Following on from the enjoyable "Hustler" (1961), Paul Newman's "Eddie" takes the cocky but green pool player "Vincent" (Tom Cruise") under his wing so he can teach him how to win and to win big. Initially hostile to the idea, "Vincent" realises his opportunity and pretty quickly the pair are on a tour of the country's pool halls trying to raise enough money to stake their entry in a tournament of champions. Newman is on great form here. His portrayal of the formerly invincible player is strong and nuanced. He knows he is not as good as he once was, but is he now vicariously living through his protégé, or might this younger man galvanise him to raise his game one last time? Cruise is also good as the arrogant and cock-sure youngster and there is some considerable on-screen chemistry between the two as the story follows a not entirely unpredictable path. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio ("Carmen") and Helen Shaver ("Janelle") both contribute well as the girlfriends, the former trying to keep "Vincent" grounded, the latter trying to keep "Eddie" motivated, and as they travel we get a sense of a building reliance and animosity between the two that can only lead to fuses blowing. John Tarturro and Forest Whitaker both offer us timely contributions that demonstrate to both men their failings and opportunities along the way, too. The dialogue is strong, potent and sparing - Newman still uses his expressions well and the pace of the story builds really effectively. Two hours just fly by before an ending that I really thought a bit of a tease. What ever happened to the "Color of Money 2"?

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