The Color of Money (1986)

Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Walter Tevis (novel), Richard Price (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Fast Eddie Felson
Tom Cruise	...	Vincent Lauria
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Carmen
Helen Shaver	...	Janelle
John Turturro	...	Julian
Bill Cobbs	...	Orvis
Robert Agins	...	Earl at Chalkie's
Alvin Anastasia	...	Kennedy
Randall Arney	...	Child World Customer #1
Elizabeth Bracco	...	Diane at Bar
Vito D'Ambrosio	...	Lou at Child World
Ron Dean	...	Guy in Crowd
Lisa Dodson	...	Child World Customer #2
Donald A. Feeney	...	Referee #1
Paul Geier	...	Two Brothers / Stranger Player

Storyline

Pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson finds the young, promising pool player Vincent in a local bar and he sees in him a younger version of himself. To try and make it as in the old days, Eddie offers to teach Vincent how to be a hustler. After some hesitations Vincent accepts and Eddie takes him and Vincent's girlfriend Carmen on a tour through the country to work the pool halls. However, Vincent's tendency to show off his talent and by doing so warning off the players and losing money, soon leads to a confrontation with Eddie.

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Plot Keywords:

pool | pool player | hustler | comeback | bar | 

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Taglines:

The hustler isn't what he used to be, but he has the next best thing: a kid who is

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

El color del dinero

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,800,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$52,293,982 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners II

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bruce A. Young, who plays Moselle, the man who Challenges Vince to play when Eddie is at the motel, also plays the transvestite prostitute who arrives to Joel's house in Risky Business, another Tom Cruise movie.

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Goofs

When Vincent is playing Grady Seasons in the tournament, at one point, he shoots and misses an easy shot of the eight ball into the side pocket. While the camera moves with the shot, you see that the three ball is still on the table on the other side rail, indicating that he is aiming for balls out of order of nine-ball rules.

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Quotes

Vincent Lauria: [Eddie is pushing to go on the road] This is my job, Eddie.
Eddie Felson: You think so? Hmmm. That's funny. I don't think so. I think it's your problem.

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Crazy Credits

Dog Walkby (Zoe)

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Connections

Referenced in Free Enterprise (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Standing On The Edge"
Written by Jerry Lynn Williams
Performed by B.B. King

User Reviews

Amazing Sequel That Was 25 Years in the Making.

Near excellent sequel to "The Hustler" which returns Paul Newman (finally in an Oscar-winning role) as the old wise former hustler who decides to take young jerk Tom Cruise and his hot, but shady girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in her Oscar-nominated role) on the road to take advantage of all pool table challengers. Newman's reprise of his greatest role is truly something to experience. He is at the top of his career in this one, playing a quiet and complicated role of a man who has been tortured by time, loss and missed dreams of total success. Martin Scorsese's subtle and focused direction stays on task throughout and he lets his three outstanding leads do the bulk of the work. Not quite as good as "The Hustler" due to a weaker screenplay and less suspense, but still a very memorable cinematic experience. 4.5 out of 5 stars.