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 Eddie is playing Amos (and still winning), he plays a kick shot combination with the 6 and the 9. The 3 ball is clearly still on the table, making Eddie's shot illegal for 9 ball.

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Quotes

Eddie Felson: This ain't pool. This is for bangers. Straight pool is pool. This is like hand-ball, or cribbage, or something. Straight pool, you gotta be a real surgeon to get 'em, you know? It's all finesse. Now, every thing is nine-ball, 'cause it's fast, good for T.V., good for a lot of break shots... Oh, well. What the hell. Checkers sells more than chess.

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Crazy Credits

Dog Walkby (Zoe)

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Connections

Referenced in Trainspotting (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Still The Night"
Written by Sammy Llanas, Kurt Neumann and Guy Hoffman
Performed by BoDeans
Courtesy of Slash Records / Warner Bros. Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

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.