The Color of Money

MARTIN SCORSESE
USA, 1986
119 minutes, Color

Twenty-five years after The Hustler, Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) has stopped playing pool and is an alcoholic beverage salesman. When he discovers Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise), a talented pool player, his desire to return to his old passion comes back and he organizes a trip through the United States with the young man and his girlfriend. From one pool hall to another, the three make money by hustling as many adversaries as possible. Vincent's exuberance and Eddie's humiliating defeat put an end to their partnership. After receiving an Honorary Award the year before, Paul Newman finally won an Oscar® for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He once again plays his most famous character as he embarks on a generational clash with Tom Cruise. Scorsese accepted the job for commercial reasons but thanks to Michael Balhaus's cinematography and Thelman Schoonmaker's film editing, he sharpened his furious, hyperrealistic style to reflect the outer edge of 1980s American cinema and the contradictory relationship between art and industry.—Various sources