The Color of Money (1986) - "Living For The Cruise" Series

What happens when you hire one legendary TOP-tier movie star (Paul Newman) returning to play a character he played once before 25 years prior (Fast Eddie Felson in 1961's The Hustler)....pair him up with one giant up-and-coming movie star (Tom Cruise)....and then hire possibly THE greatest American filmmaker (Martin Scorcese) of the past 50 years to direct?? 

Well the result might very well be an excellent road movie/sports drama all set within the world of competitive billiards.  If nothing else, it might be worth watching just to see Cruise learn the ropes from Newman....or DOES he?  Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, John Turturro, Helen Shaver, and Forest Whitaker also round out the cast.

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

“Living for the Cruise” Series: Over the past 40 years since his breakout starring role in the 1983 comedy Risky Business, one of our most enduring movie stars has been Thomas Mapother IV….otherwise known as Tom Cruise.  He has excelled in a variety of genres but most recently mainly in action and just last year, he starred in the biggest hit of his career….Top Gun Maverick.  Well as a follow-up this year, we will see his return to the beloved Mission Impossible franchise, once again playing IMF agent Ethan Hunt.  Over the next several months, I will be revisiting one notable Cruise film each month – each from a different era of his career – culminating with the July 14th release of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning….Part 1. (Music playing over)

THE COLOR OF MONEY - 1986

Directed by Martin Scorcese

Starring Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver, John Turturro, Bill Cobbs, Keith McCready, and Forest Whitaker

Genre: Sports Drama (Audio clip)

This MIGHT be Scorcese's most rewatchable film....or at least up there with Goodfellas. 🤔 I've seen it several times before but my most recent rewatch was my first time watching it after having finally seen the original The Hustler which came out 24 years prior and was the big screen introduction to Newman’s Fast Eddie Felson.  That film was significantly darker overall and as a result, the lighter '80's tonal shift feels a bit more jarring though it also leaves the ending now feeling more satisfying.  In many ways, it’s a redemption story for Eddie even though it’s initially presented as a more typical sports hero’s journey for Cruise’s Vince.

From the top down, the cast is just killer!  I love the way Newman just DEVOURS Richard Price's dialogue with a gleam in his eye at all of the right points….I mean WOW, this guy could easily convince ME to buy a case of whiskey and I don’t even drink.  He just delivers so many gems with aplomb. 

As you would expect, it’s also a blast to see him matched up with young Cruise here who brings so much whirling dervish energy to this performance while also still giving him some depth.  And let’s not forget Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio who just KILLS it as Vincent’s girlfriend Carmen….she might even be the smartest person in the room here but we’ll get back to her in a bit. 

Beyond that, you have a young John Turturro making the most of his limited screentime as fellow hustler Julian who MIGHT actually be a suitable protégé of Eddie’s if he wasn’t so coked up all of the time. (Audio clip) And not to mention, we have a baby-faced Forest Whitaker – I mean dude was 25 here, he just looks SO disarmingly young - who makes HIS mark during a critical sequence as Amos, a seemingly easy-going pool-player Eddie faces off against and who demonstrates the most effective type of hustling we will ever see in these films. (Audio clip) 

Throw in a tight clever screenplay from crime whiz Richard Price, an elegant bluesy score from Robbie Robertson, and….of course…..reliably MASTERFUL editing from long-time Scorsese collaborate Thelma Schoonmaker and what results is a one of THE best sports dramas/road movies of the ‘80’s.  That’s of course if you consider billiards and ACTUAL sport…hmmm, well I do. 

Cruise-iest Moment (Tom Cruise has become SUCH an otherworldly star to the point where many have often speculated as to whether he in fact a REAL, living, breathing human being.  This would be the moment in this film which most brings this speculation to light….):

If we’re going through the trajectory of his career, most would point towards to that iconic scene of Cruise in his shirt and underwear dancing to “Old Time Rock and Roll” at the beginning of Risky Business as THE moment when he first displayed that unique Cruise-ey star quality.  And of course, that’s an iconic scene for a reason.  But fast forward just a couple of years ago and there a sequence roughly halfway through which I think is an EVEN better demonstration of the unique appeal of The Cruise Missile.

We find Fast Eddie circling back to Chalky’s to round up Cruise’s Vince as he just found out that the kid returned to that pool hall WITH the balabushka….and if he was even just a bit concerned about Vince showboating his billiards acumen for the regulars, well those fears are realized as he walks aghast at what he sees AND hears.

It’s Vince not only DESTROYING at the pool table soundly defeating the one player he shouldn’t be defeating this early….but he’s making quite a spectacle of it too, to the tune of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.”  Every one’s watching as Cruise is just vamping around the table, swinging his stick around as if it’s a samurai sword between shots….acting out the lyrics of the song….and constantly flashing that BIG toothy Cruise smile.  (Audio clip) It’s a perfect demonstration of what Cruise has always done best with most of his other iconic scenes from the office freak-out in Jerry Maguire to that school-boyish taunt to Henry Cavill flying in that helicopter in Mission Impossible Fallout: he manages to achieve the perfect blend of appearing both dorky AND super-cool at the same time. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

And as memorable as it is to hear Zevon’s song used SO well in this standout sequence, it’s actually the song we hear in the very scene BEFORE this which wins this category.  Partially because I just happen to love the song and partially because it’s ideal background music to watch Vince gleefully but prematurely challenge Moselle (played adeptly by Bruce A. Young) to a game…THIS time showing him the case for the balabushkha in a playful attempt to intimidate him.  The song is a mid-tempo rocker by the great Eric Clapton from his 1986 album, “August” – it’s a lively mix of Clapton’s signature guitar licks, lots of brass, and even some synth in the background.  The song is “It’s In The Way That You Use It.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

And now back to Mastrantonio…..she is a FORCE in this story, often stealing the film from both leads with several  standout moments including one CRITICAL moment when it’s her and not Newman’s Eddie who is able to set Vince straight. ("What are you....meditating?") (Audio clip)

In fact, this role was in a middle of a solid early run for the actress going into the early ‘90’s including Scarface, The Abyss, and the VASTLY underrated family courtoom drama Class Action where she holds her own up against Gene Hackman playing her father.  But then as is often the case in Hollywood where up-and-coming actors….like say Ryan Reynolds back in the ‘2000’s….are given the leeway to make many questionable choices in projects and still get extended more opportunities for stardom.....such is NOT the case with actresses once they reach their ‘30’s.  Mastrantonio took on some PRETTY bad roles right around ‘91….most notably, she co-starred as Maid Marian in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves which was a HUGE hit at the time but she received criticism for poor accent work and a poorly conceived character who shifts from a strong-willed woman in the first act to a screeching damsel-in-distress in the third act.  Now granted how the character was written was not HER fault and as much affection as I have for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves I can tell you assuredly that her accent work was FAR from the worst in that particular movie….psssst….it’s Mr. Yellowstone All American TRYING to portray Robin of Locksley. (Audio clip) 

And from there, major projects for her seemed to dry up.  Now she never went away mind you….like a lot of the best actresses out there, she still does the occasional feature film and gobs of TV work and hell, streaming SEEMS to be where it’s at for many actresses after 40 to find their juiciest roles nowadays.  Just ask Kate Winslet or Jessica Lange.  But seeing just how amazing Mastrantonio is in this movie was just a reminder of a top flight movie star career which could have been…. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

In most ways, this is very much your typical sports drama including all of the types of scenes we have come to expect including the scene where the grizzled veteran first meets the hot young rookie, the training montage, the triumph montage, and of course the devastating loss for our main protagonist which sets him back before the third act.  And that’s not a criticism because every element here is elevated by the performances, the writing, and the direction.  However one common trope that this movie which does NOT contain is the climactic final match….

That’s right, there are scenes which APPEAR to be that scene within the third act…..there are at least two highlighted matches in the tournament including the match between Grady Seasons and Vince OR….that semi-final between Eddie and Vince.  But they’re not and that’s part of what helps this sports drama shine above most others.  

You see the canny thing that Scorsese and Price do is that they end the story JUST before a final unplanned match is to occur between Eddie and Vince….a legit battle to show who’s better in the end, the teacher or the student.  It is the very exchange between our two protagonists LEADING to that which qualifies as the peak of this movie as far as I’m concerned.  It’s a great scene because it not only takes us full circle between these two – it’s now EDDIE who is seeking this opportunity for his own validation, not Vince.  But this is no longer about money, hell he doesn’t care about the money nor the hustle….it’s about his LOVE for playing this game and he relishes the chance to share his “best game” with Vince.  Even though it’s not your typical triumphant ending, it still actually FEELS quite gratifying all the way to that final line and that final freeze frame of Newman smiling as he breaks. (Audio clip)  

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film): 

If it’s possible to actually agonize over the selection of MVP for a 37 year old movie which most folks are not talking about nowadays….well that’s me before recording this.  You have two MASTERS here – Newman and Scorsese – and while nobody would call this film a career peak for either of them, their work here is unassailable.  

Scorsese just makes SO many interesting choices here from the creatives ways with which his camera moves across the billiard table – of course with the help of DP Michael Ballaus - to having non-professional actors like Iggy Pop make appearances.  The latter of which actually works quite well because just virtue of his scraggly, sinewy look…Iggy Pop looks right at home within this environment.  And hat’s off to him and screenwriter Price for their unique decisions over what to show and NOT show the audience from the latter part of the movie taking place during the tournament. 

But thinking about that ending…..it ONLY works with the right actor giving the right type of performance to sell it and that’s very much thanks to Newman.  In the lead-up to this conclusion, he has done SUCH an effective job of exploring the integrity of Eddie Felson that we not only buy the ending but we feel good after that last shot.  For delivering in the clutch with the performance that would win him his ONLY competitive Oscar, Paul Newman is the MVP.      

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5

And for any one who’s considering watching this who hasn’t seen The Hustler?  Well while I would highly recommend The Hustler as it’s an excellent film in its own right, you can easily enjoy this without much in-depth knowledge of that particular backstory.  This movie stands as one of THE great sequels but it also stands well on its own.   

Streaming at DirectTV

And that ends another HUSTLING review!