The Hustler (1961)
95%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
13 wins & 20 nominations total
Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason give iconic performances in this dark, morally complex tale of redemption.
The Hustler” is a classic movie that’s all about pool, booze, and the consequences of the con. Paul Newman gives a great performance as “Fast” Eddie Felson, a cocky pool hustler who’s always looking for his next big score. The movie is a bit slow-paced, but it’s worth it for the amazing cinematography and the wonderful performances from the entire cast. Jackie Gleason is especially great as Minnesota Fats, the reigning pool champion who takes on Eddie in a high-stakes game of pool. If you’re a fan of classic movies or just love a good game of pool, “The Hustler” is definitely worth checking out.
Production Company(ies)
Rossen Films,
Distributor
20th Century Fox, Key Video
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Edison Studio, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1961
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 15m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 25, 1961 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 4, 2002
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, George C Scott, Piper Laurie, Myron McCormick, Murray Hamilton, directed by Robert Rossen, written by Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen, Walter Tevis, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by James Powers, Stanley Kauffmann, Nell Minow, Arthur Ryel-Lindsey, Derek Adams, Bosley Crowther, Roger Moore, David Nusair, Manny Farber, Eddie Harrison, Clyde Gilmour, Sean Axmaker, produced by Robert Rossen, MPAA rating, pool, Minnesota Fats, redemption, athlete, internal struggle, morality play, Walter Tevis novel, pool shark, degenerate gambler, character study, anti-hero, Color of Money, tension, showdown, seedy, poolrooms, dingy bars, pool-table heavyweight champion, Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason’s performances, Mono, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jackie Gleason – Minnesota Fats
George C. Scott – Bert Gordon
Piper Laurie – Sarah Packard
Myron McCormick – Charlie Burns
Murray Hamilton – JAMES Findley
Robert Rossen – Director, Producer
Sidney Carroll – Writer
Walter Tevis – Writer
Director(s)
Robert Rossen
Writer(s)
Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen, Walter Tevis
Producer(s)
Robert Rossen
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
13 wins & 20 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (2)
Newman gives a restrained, modulated performance, an unusual one in that character development is sought and achieved with utilization only of voice, gesture, intensity.
September 25, 2018
James Powers
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Rosen, the co-author, has directed with a sure, economical hand. Newman is first-rate.
January 27, 2016
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Like a traditional morality play; teens and up.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
This is the purest examination of an athlete’s internal struggle ever mounted for the screen.
June 29, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Arthur Ryel-Lindsey
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A wonderful hymn to the last true era when men of substance played pool with a vengeance.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Under Robert Rossen’s strong direction, its ruthless and odorous account of one young hustler’s eventual emancipation is positive and alive.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Not just a memory, it’s a memory of a dream — a seedy and sinister movie of smoke, booze, lies and the consequences of the con, a relic of a less frazzled, pre-“first person shooter” age.
March 20, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Roger Moore
Movie Nation
…fares best as a showcase for stellar performances and first-class cinematography.
December 14, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
The Hustler is cut down to almost nothing by tons of pompous elegance (Paul Newman and male associates), and then intermittently saved by Miss Laurie’s grace on top of inferiority, slackness and a willed driving towards self-destruction.
September 15, 2021
Manny Farber
The New Leader
‘..The Hustler is a sordid, beautiful, wordy, visually austere experience that views all human life with compassion and derision in equal measure…’
April 8, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Making one of his rare appearances on the full-size screen, TV funnyman Jackie Gleason is superbly suited to his role as a pool-table heavyweight champion…
November 14, 2019
Clyde Gilmour
Maclean’s Magazine
Paul Newman is cocky poolroom hustler “Fast” Eddie Felson, a swaggering pool shark punk who works his trade in dingy bars and seedy poolrooms, in Robert Rossen’s atmospheric adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel.
January 13, 2017
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com…
Plot
“Fast” Eddie Felson is a small-time pool hustler with a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude. His bravado causes him to challenge the legendary “Minnesota Fats” to a high-stakes match, but he loses in a heartbreaking marathon. Now broke and without his long-time manager, Felson faces an uphill battle to regain his confidence and his game. It isn’t until he hits rock bottom that he agrees to join up with ruthless and cutthroat manager Bert Gordon. Gordon agrees to take him on the road to learn the ropes. But Felson soon realizes that making it to the top could cost him his soul, and perhaps his girlfriend. Will he decide that this is too steep a price to pay in time to save himself?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jackie Gleason, who plays Minnesota Fats in The Hustler, was actually an accomplished pool player in real life and performed all of his own shots in the film.
Robert-Rossen.jpg
