| The Color of Money | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Robert Tanenbaum[1] | |
| Directed by | Martin Scorsese |
| Screenplay by | Richard Price |
| Based on | The Color of Money byWalter Tevis |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michael Ballhaus |
| Edited by | Thelma Schoonmaker |
| Music by | Robbie Robertson |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution Co. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | $14.5 million[3] |
| Box office | $52.2 million |
The Color of Money is a 1986 Americansportsdrama film directed byMartin Scorsese. It is the sequel to the 1961 filmThe Hustler. Like the previous film,The Color of Money is based on anovel byWalter Tevis.
The film starsPaul Newman reprising his role as "Fast Eddie" Felson, for which he won theAcademy Award for Best Actor. The film also starsTom Cruise playing a pool hustler, and featuresMary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as the girlfriend of Cruise's character. The plot follows the trio as they hustle pool halls and make their way to anine-ball tournament in Atlantic City. It received positive reviews from critics, though some considered it inferior as a sequel toThe Hustler.
Former pro-pool player "Fast Eddie" Felson has given up the game and is now a successful liquor salesman inChicago. However, he partners with pool players, including a hustler named Julian, who is outmatched atnine-ball by the young and charismatic Vincent Lauria. Recognizing Vincent's skill, and his girlfriend Carmen's inexperience at luring players to lose money, Eddie tells the couple of their excellent potential for hustling.
Carmen visits Eddie alone to inquire about his interest in Vincent. Finding him working at Child World, Eddie invites Vincent to leave the next day for six weeks of hustling on the road, culminating in a nine-ball tournament inAtlantic City. Manipulating Vincent's insecurities about Carmen and giving him a valuableBalabushkacue stick, Eddie persuades him to accept his offer. Eddie's abrupt departure upsets Julian, as well as Eddie's girlfriend, Janelle.
Vincent and Carmen hit the road with Eddie in hisCadillac, visiting a series ofpool halls, with Eddie taking most of any winnings and absorbing losses. Eddie attempts to teach him the art of hustling, but Vincent balks at having to play below his ability. While at a pool hall run by his old acquaintance, Orvis, Eddie becomes fed up with Vincent's arrogance, and leaves him. In Vincent's absence, Eddie reminds Carmen that they are partners with a mutual business interest in Vincent. Eddie returns to find Vincent grandstanding, beating the pool hall's best player but scaring off a wealthiermark. Eddie and Vincent talk frankly, agreeing that Vincent must curb his ego if they are to succeed.
Eddie and Carmen struggle to rein in Vincent's showboating. After a string of successful games, Vincent plays the famed Grady Seasons, but is directed by Eddie todump the game to inflate the odds against Vincent in Atlantic City. Goaded by Grady, Vincent nearly fails to throw the game, and Eddie is inspired to play again. After some success, Eddie is beaten by Amos, a hustler. Humiliated, Eddie leaves Vincent and Carmen with enough money to make it to Atlantic City.
Eddie enters the Atlantic City tournament, in which he triumphs against Vincent. Vincent surprises Eddie in his room and explains that, after boosting his odds by beating Grady, he bet on Eddie and dumped their match. Before leaving, Vincent and Carmen give Eddie $8,000, his "cut" of their winnings.
In his semifinal match, Eddie forfeits the game and returns Vincent's money. Determined to win legitimately, Eddie faces Vincent in a private match, declaring, "I'm back!"
Paul Newman calledMartin Scorsese in September 1984 and asked him if he was interested in directing a sequel toThe Hustler. The original screenplay sent to Scorsese was written byDarryl Ponicsan and it "incorporated the first twelve minutes of the original film" according to Scorsese.Walter Tevis wrote a sequel to his novelThe Hustler, calledThe Color of Money, and died the same day producer Irving Axelrad receivedgalley proofs of the book.[4]
Scorsese shot the film in 49 days at a cost of $14.5 million, $1.5 million under budget.[5]Michael Ballhaus was thecinematographer for the film.The Color of Money was released byTouchstone Pictures, after both20th Century Fox andColumbia Pictures declined.[3]Richard Price adapted Tevis's novel. Although it features some characters from the novel, it was not written to be a sequel.[3] A screenplay was written by Tevis, but the filmmakers decided not to use it.[6][7]Jean-Pierre Léaud was briefly considered for the role of Vincent.[8] It was shot in and around Chicago, with much of the filming taking place in pool and billiard halls, rather than in built sets, includingFitzGerald's Nightclub.[9][10] The film was edited byThelma Schoonmaker, who used closeup shots of pool balls being played, as well as wider visuals of the players, to get across the visual of a pool hall.[3]
Scorsese considered shooting the film in black and white.[11] He cited the influence of techniques and lighting in the 1947Powell-Pressburger film,Black Narcissus, when makingThe Color of Money. In particular, he stated that the extreme closeups of Tom Cruise around the pool table were inspired by those of the nuns in that film.[12]
Newman said that the best advice he was given by Scorsese was to "try not to be funny". Cruise performed most of his own pool shots. An exception was ajump shot over two balls topot another. Scorsese believed that Cruise could learn the shot, but that it would take too long, so the shot was performed for him by professional player,Mike Sigel. Cruise mentioned that, to prepare for the role, he bought apool table for his apartment and practiced for hours on end. Standing in for the valuable Balabushka cue in the movie is a Joss J-18 (which became the Joss 10-N7), made to resemble a classic Balabushka.[13]
Sigel was atechnical director, and he and fellow player,Ewa Mataya Laurance, served as technical consultants and shot performers in the film. Absent from the film is the characterMinnesota Fats, played byJackie Gleason inThe Hustler.[3] Newman said that he had wanted the character to appear, but that none of the attempts to include him fit well into the story that was being written. According to Scorsese, Gleason apparently agreed with Newman's opinion that Minnesota Fats was not essential to the film's story. Scorsese said that Gleason was presented with a draft of the script that had Fats worked into the narrative, but after reading it, Gleason declined to reprise the role because he felt that the character seemed to have been added as "an afterthought".[7][14]
The Color of Money had its world premiere at theZiegfeld Theater in New York City October 8, 1986. The film went intowide release in the United States October 17, 1986.[15] The American release was limited to select theaters throughout the country, with the film opening in more theaters during the next four weeks of its initial release. After its run, the film grossed $52,293,982 domestically.[16] The film was released onDVD January 3, 2000,[17] and onBlu-ray June 5, 2012.[18]
The Color of Money received a generally positive critical response on its release, although some critics thought that the film was an inferior followup toThe Hustler. Based on 48 reviews collected byRotten Tomatoes, the film received an 88% approval rating from critics, with anaverage score of 7.10/10. The site's consensus reads: "That it's inferior to the original goes without saying, but Paul Newman and Tom Cruise are a joy to watch, and Martin Scorsese's direction is typically superb."[19] Review aggregator websiteMetacritic reported a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on a scale of A+ to F.[21]
The film was praised for the major cast.Vincent Canby, writing forThe New York Times, commented on the "three fully realized" main characters, and that the journey with them throughout the film is "most satisfying".[22] Canby, however, also commented that it "lacks in narrative shapeliness", before giving the film 9 out of 10.[22]
Sheila Benson of theLos Angeles Times called these characters an "electrifying unholy trio", and praised the metaphors between hustling and pool.[23]
Miami Herald writer Bill Cosford, however, commented that "whatever Scorsese and Price have to say about these marvelous characters, it is not anything interesting".[24]
Tom Hutchingson ofRadio Times said that Newman "deserved" to win an Oscar for his performance.[25]
Reviewers comparedThe Color of Money with other Scorsese films. Jason Bailey, writing forFlavorwire, described the film as only "mid-level" for the director, but that it was so "overpowering ... jazzy and boisterous" that he could not help but enjoy.[26]
TheChicago Tribune'sGene Siskel commented that the "grit is gone", for Scorsese was not backed up by a veteran contributor, as in his other works.[27]
People commented that the film benefited from the cast of characters, and Scorsese's choice of actors.[28]
ForThe Color of Money, Newman received theAcademy Award for Best Actor, his first Academy Award and his seventh nomination.[3]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actor | Paul Newman | Won | [29] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium | Richard Price | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Boris Leven andKaren O'Hara | Nominated | ||
| Cahiers du cinéma | Best Film | Martin Scorsese | Nominated | [30] |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Paul Newman | Nominated | [31] |
| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | Nominated | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Best Video from a Film | Eric Clapton – "It's in the Way That You Use It" | Nominated | [32] |
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 6th Place | [33] | |
| Best Actor | Paul Newman | Won | ||
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | 3rd Place | [34] | |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | 2nd Place | [35] | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | 3rd Place | ||
Thesoundtrack album of the motion picture was released byMCA Records in 1986.[36]Robbie Robertson produced the score for the film.[37]
Track listing:
A line in the film spoken by Tom Cruise — "In here? Doom" — inspired the title of the popular 1993video game,Doom.[38]
The 1996 nine-ball challenge match betweenEfren Reyes andEarl Strickland was named "The Color of Money" in honor of the film. The second challenge, which took place in 2001, was titled "The Color of Money II".[39][40]
The 1995Sega Saturn video gameMinnesota Fats: Pool Legend (released in Japan asSide Pocket 2) features a similar plotline as the film, in which the player plays as thetitular pool player in a quest to challenge against rival pool hustlers.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link).
