Movie Review
"The Color of Money"
Directed by
Martin Scorsese
Starring Paul Newman
and Tom Cruise
★★★★ V2
Fast Eddie Felson was
one of the hottest pool
hustlers in the country.
But that was 25 years
ago. According to Felson,
it was over before it really
began.
Now Eddie has met a
kid, Vincent Lauria, who
is a wiz on the pool table.
Eddie thinks that he
can use Vince to hustle
lots of money at the
game, but the kid doesn’t
really care about money,
he just wants to play the
best game he can.
“The Color of Money,"
a new film from director
Martin Scorsese, is the
story of Eddie and Vince.
Scorsese has the un
canny ability to capture
common characters and
their lives on the streets
on film. “Taxi Driver" was
a gripping portrait of a
Vietnam veteran who gets
involved with a prostitu
tion ring in an attempt to
rescue a 16-year-old
hooker. “Raging Bull”
was a intense biographical
look at a boxer and his
fights in and out of the
ring. “The King of Come
dy” was a bizarre story of
a comedian who gets his
big break by kidnapping
the host of a popular
show and demanding a
guest shot on the show.
Last year’s “After Hours”
was a wonderfully dark
comedy which was too
confusing to try to explain
here.
“The Color of Money”
picks up the story of Fast
Eddie, the subject of Rob
ert Rossen’s 1961 film,
“The Hustler,” which was
based on a novel by Wal
ter Tevis.
In “The Color of Mon
ey,” Paul Newman re
creates his role as Fast Ed
die from “The Hustler,”
only now Eddie’s older
and has a comfortable job
as a liquor salesman. He
still hangs around the pool
halls but he never picks
up a pool cue.
Tom Cruise, star of
“Taps,” “Risky Business”
and the extremely popu
lar “Top Gun,” portrays
Vince.
Vince has a nice job at
a toy store and enjoys
playing pool and video
games.
He is somewhat of a
flake — he twirls his pool
cue like he’s performing
kendo.
His girlfriend, Carmen
(Mary Elizabeth Mastran-
tonio), is somewhat of a
user. She uses Vince to
get a better life for herself.
Fast Eddie sees what
type of person Carmen is
and uses her to convince
Vince to go on the road to
make money hustling
pool.
Eddie, Vince and Car
men go to the pool halls
of Chicago. Vince is good
player but doesn’t like to
lose, one of the tricks a
good hustler has to know.
Eddie is trying to
groom Vince for a pool
tournament in Atlantic
City. Eddie knows that if
Vince wins too many
games before the tourna
ment, the word will get
out and Eddie won’t be
able to find many people
willing to bet against his
protege.
After a while, Eddie be
gins to question his own
pool playing ability.
He wants to get back
into the game himself but,
once he suffers a humiliat
ing defeat at the hands of
another hustler, he real
izes he has lost some of
his fire.
Eddie sends Vince and
Carmen out on their own
and starts working to im
prove his game. He wants
to win the tournament
himself but realizes he will
have to play Vince. Eddie
doesn’t really care if he
wins or loses. He just
wants the chance to play
his best.
“The Color of Money”
is a great film with superb
acting. Newman has dis
tinguished himself for
years in such great films as
“The Sting,” “Butch Cas
sidy and the Sundance
Kid,” “The Verdict,
“Harry and Son” and the
classic “Cool Hand Lu
ke.” He’s one of the last
of the great leading men
and is able to bring great
sophistication to any role
he tackles.
Cruise is probably one
of the best actors to come
out of the ’80s. He was
wonderful as the overanx
ious cadet in “Taps.” In
“Risky Business” he
played a straight-laced kid
who was able to success
fully deal with everything
when his life went crazy.
He was the only thing
worth watching in “All the
Right Moves,” “Losin’ It”
and “Legend.” “Top
Gun” pushed Cruise up
to idol status as a cocky,
arrogant navy pilot.
It took a lot of guts for
Cruise take on the role of
Vince, a good-looking,
airheaded kid in “The
Color of Money.” If any
one had any doubts be
fore, this film shows that
he can act.
“The Color of Money”
is like a slice of life that
most people would not be
able to experience if it
weren’t for actors like
Cruise and Newman and
directors like Scorsese.
Some viewers may feel
the ending of the film is a
bit ambiguous, but life is
often that way.
—Review by Karl
Pallmeyer
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Music and Lyrics by 1 Book by
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Originally Produced on Broadway by Harold S. Prince
Nov. 12, 13, 14 & 15 8:00 PM
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Forum is a farcical romp through the streets of An
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Larry Gelbart (M.A.S.H., Tootsie, etc.), was the
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