Sign In / Sign Up

The Color of Money

The Color of Money
Release date: 1986-10-17
Rating: 6.853
Votes: 1452
Genres: Drama
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.

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

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"?

Movie Recommendation

  • Broadcast News
    Broadcast News
    1987-12-16
    A high-strung news producer finds herself in a love triangle between a talented but self-doubting reporter and a charming new anchor, who embodies the growing trivialization of news that she is determined to fight against.
    More...
  • The Last Temptation of Christ
    The Last Temptation of Christ
    1988-05-28
    Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas -- despite his protestations that love, not violence, is the path to salvation. The burden of being the savior of mankind torments Jesus throughout his life, leading him to doubt.
    More...
  • After Hours
    After Hours
    1985-09-13
    Desperate to escape his mind-numbing routine, uptown Manhattan office worker Paul Hackett ventures downtown for a hookup with a mystery woman.
    More...
  • Nine 1/2 Weeks
    Nine 1/2 Weeks
    1986-02-09
    An erotic story about a woman, the assistant of an art gallery, who gets involved in an impersonal affair with a man. She barely knows about his life, only about the sex games they play, so the relationship begins to get complicated.
    More...
  • The Hustler
    The Hustler
    1961-09-25
    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.
    More...
  • Down and Out in Beverly Hills
    Down and Out in Beverly Hills
    1986-01-31
    Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool.
    More...
  • The Odd Couple II
    The Odd Couple II
    1998-04-09
    Brucey, the son of Oscar, calls his father to invite him to his wedding to Felix's daughter next Sunday in California. Oscar and Felix meet again at Los Angeles International Airport and rent a car in order to go to San Malina for the wedding.
    More...
  • The Central Park Five
    The Central Park Five
    2012-05-24
    In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were arrested and later convicted of raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park. They spent between 6 and 13 years in prison before a serial rapist confessed that he alone had committed the crime, leading to their convictions being overturned. Set against a backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension, this is the story of that horrific crime, the rush to judgment by the police, a media clamoring for sensational stories and an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice.
    More...
  • And the Band Played On
    And the Band Played On
    1993-09-11
    The story of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.
    More...
  • 'Round Midnight
    'Round Midnight
    1986-09-23
    Inside the Blue Note nightclub one night in 1959 Paris, an aged, ailing jazzman coaxes an eloquent wail from his tenor sax. Outside, a young Parisian too broke to buy a glass of wine strains to hear those notes. Soon they will form a friendship that sparks a final burst of genius.
    More...
  • Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage
    Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage
    2021-07-23
    Explore Woodstock 99, a three-day music festival promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert but instead devolved into riots, looting and sexual assaults.
    More...
  • Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
    Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
    1978-09-13
    Mystery abounds when it is discovered that, one by one, the greatest Chefs in Europe are being killed. The intriguing part of the murders is that each chef is killed in the same manner that their own special dish is prepared in. Food critics and the (many) self-proclaimed greatest Chefs in Europe demand the mystery be solved.
    More...
  • Crimson Gold
    Crimson Gold
    2003-09-12
    Pizza man Hussein is a daily witnesses to the unjust distribution of wealth in his native Iran. One day, he finds a purse filled with shockingly expensive receipts from an upscale jewelry store. He attempts to bring the purse back to the store, but because of his working-class attire, he's not allowed inside. Then, during a delivery, a rich man invites Hussein into his extravagant mansion – an event that spurs Hussein to make a desperate bid for wealth.
    More...
  • Oh, God! Book II
    Oh, God! Book II
    1980-10-03
    God appears before 11-year-old Tracy Richards to ask for her help to spread his word and influence over the world which she suggests the slogan 'Think God.' Naturaly, Tracy's divorced parents think Tracy's crazy, and plot to halt her 'heaven-sent' mission to spread God's word.
    More...
  • Scanner Cop
    Scanner Cop
    1994-07-27
    Rookie cop Sam Staziak has a unique gift: he is a Scanner, which gives him the power to read the thoughts of others, and also to inflict great bodily harm. When a mad scientist begins using mind control to murder police officers, Sam realizes that only he and his unique gift can put an end to the mayhem.
    More...
  • Ishtar
    Ishtar
    1987-05-15
    Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the CIA, the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.
    More...
  • Brothers in Arms
    Brothers in Arms
    1989-03-15
    Simon, a Jewish police inspector, arrests Karim, a Muslim, in the bust of a drug smuggling cargo ship, only to realize that Karim is an undercover agent from the military intelligence, whose mission he was not aware of. The two men pursue the narc investigation, which will lead them to confront middle eastern terrorists together.
    More...
  • On the Bride’s Side
    On the Bride’s Side
    2014-09-04
    A Palestinian poet and an Italian journalist meet five Palestinians and Syrians in Milan who entered Europe via the Italian island of Lampedusa after fleeing the war in Syria. They decide to help them complete their journey to Sweden, and hopefully avoid getting themselves arrested as traffickers, by faking a wedding. With a Palestinian friend dressed up as the bride and a dozen or so Italian and Syrian friends as wedding guests, they cross halfway over Europe on a four-day journey of three thousand kilometres.
    More...
  • Kill Buljo
    Kill Buljo
    2007-03-23
    Jompa Tormann and his guests and family are brutally gunned down during an engagement party. Sami- and women-hating police officer Sid Wisløff is put on the case. Together with his colleague and a Sami guide, Wisløff tries to find the guilty party, but Tormann survived and he wants revenge!
    More...
  • Suckers
    Suckers
    1999-12-12
    A fiercely dishonest car salesman hires a new employee who owes a serious debt to loan sharks.
    More...

Similar Movies