The Hustler: Critic Reviews

Under Robert Rossen's strong direction, its ruthless and odorous account of one young hustler's eventual emancipation is positive and alive.

The Hustler is one of those films where scenes have such psychic weight that they grow in our memories.

This picture is so much better than Martin Scorsese's belated sequel The Color of Money that they don't even belong in the same category.

The Hustler belongs to that school of screen realism that allows impressive performances but defeats the basic goal of pure entertainment.

One of the most compelling character-based films to emerge from the decade of the 1960s.

Newman is better than usual; Gleason, as the slit-mouthed, beady-eyed Minnesota Fats, darts among the shabby little pool sharks like an improbably agile and natty whale; and Gambler Scott looks as though he could sell hot-air heat to the devil.

This is one of Newman's very best films, if not his best, even if it's relentlessly depressing.

A raft of excellent performances buoy a fervent tale of weakness and success.

A raft of excellent performances buoy a fervent tale of weakness and success.

Like a traditional morality play; teens and up.

An extraordinarily accomplished noir drama about pool, with top notch peformance from Paul Newman as the jaded player and exemplary supporting cast headed by Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, and Jackie Gleason.

Director Rossen presses all the right buttons in this classic dark masterpiece, and the atmosphere of the pool halls is brilliantly conveyed by Shufton's black-and-white CinemaScope photography.

Eddie's true modern progeny is There Will Be Blood's Daniel Plainview, drinking bitter milkshakes since 1961.

shows timeless struggle and is a classic in cinema

This is the purest examination of an athlete's internal struggle ever mounted for the screen.

Landmark Paul Newman vehicle--only took the Academy 25 years to recognize the greatness of his original "Fast Eddie" character

Elenco impecavel em um filme fascinante e doloroso sobre um personagem em busca da propria integridade.

A wonderful hymn to the last true era when men of substance played pool with a vengeance.

A rich paean to the low-life pool players, dank pool halls and its pool sharks.