THE COLOR OF MONEY

Cole's Rating: ★★★★

Jesse's Rating: ★★★ ½

Director: Martin Scorsese
Year: 1986
Cast: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Genre: Drama/Sport
MPAA Rating: R

        To my mind, there's only a few things that can happen when veteran actors Tom Cruise and Paul Newman team up with the wildly talented director Martin Scorsese and Richard Price, the screenplay writer of Clockers, to shoot a film about pool hustling. Considering all possible outcomes, and what any given critic may say, I'm going to plant both feet firmly on the ground and say that The Color of Money is one of the greatest motion pictures of all time. It is, in every respect, a four star film. Why it doesn't resonate this way with most viewers is beyond me, but considering that I am an avid fan of the director, and the fact that I've seen nearly every one of his films, I'd say that my expectations for the quality of his movies are greater than others. It would be an understatement to say that I was impressed with his 1986 feature film, The Color of Money.

         Considering that it purports itself to be the sequel of The Hustler, a pool hall film from the 60's that starred no other than Paul Newman himself, I'd say that The Color of Money doesn't feel like a second entry in the slightest bit. In fact, I'd hardly say that stands behind Goodfellas in Scorsese's directorial fame (though the fact remains that it does). By making this movie, he dug into a dirty, dingy, depressed atmosphere of reality that he hasn't explored in his other films such as Casino, After Hours, Bringing Out the Dead, Mean Streets, or Who's That Knocking at My Door. However, his directorial bravado, superb camerawork, and masterful handle of the material scene by scene clearly show that he isn't lost without a map from his last visit.

        Before even watching this movie, the pure description of what goes on in it is enough to make any film buff salivate. "Fast" Eddie Felson (Newman) "returns" as a liquor store/poolhall owner whose eye is caught by Vincent Lauria (Cruise), a cocky, sharp shooting pool player, whom Eddie uses to feel rejuvenated in the world of pool. In translation, Eddie takes Vincent under his wing, training and preparing him for a big, upcoming pool tournament, only to discover the intuitions of the sport resurfacing inside of him.

        The brilliance of this film concerns more than just the captivating storyline, to be sure. The script contains several fascinating layers of character and character relationship development. An example of this is evident in the unique and thought-provoking sexual tension between the character of Vincent's girlfriend and Eddie (this is just one good example). While the movie didn't necessarily require this aspect, it packs that in to increase the amount of mental and emotional impact on the viewers; it's not just about pool. It's an intense, involving character study that intrigues on multiple levels.

        Capping the film off with a musical score that money just can't buy (no reference there) and camerawork trademarks of his own, director Martin Scorsese has managed to do it yet again. He illustrates these characters and the events that they live through in such detail that I, as the audience member, am effected every time. The scenes of definition and significance are so potent that I feel the emotions that they both emit and subside. I'm constantly involved with what they are doing, and what they are feeling, and there's no one else to thank than the man behind the camera. The Color of Money is a film of infinite quality, intrigue, and mastery. Aside from other of the beyond talented director's masterful works, there's nothing quite like it.

-Written by Cole Pollyea

Jesse's Thoughts: The Color of Money is Scorsese personified. It was the first time he ever worked with Tom Cruise and Paul Newman (heck, it was the first time Cruise and Newman worked together). As a sort of sequel to The Hustler, "Money" fashions a bleak, dirty fascination with pool halls and hustling. The plot is a little thin, but again, this is a Scorsese movie. It's about the exuberant scenes of freewheeling direction complete with Cruise's Vincent Lauria coming off as a pool shark's version of a Samurai warrior. This is probably my second or third favorite flick by Marty. The only thing that bugged me was the abrupt and sort of not thought through ending. I wanted more but alas, two hours of poignancy and ironic bliss is substantially good enough. The Color of Money essentially has two Hollywood screen legends and who I like to call "the master" behind the camera. It's a set of matches made in movie heaven.