Review of The Hustler (1961) by Kelly K — 06 May 2018

I saw this gem as a teenager back in 1961. I loved it and fantasize about beating A Minnesota Fats type The Hustler brought pool playing into the mainstream. I recently watched it again to see if it really was that good.

Yesindeed it was.The characters are even more compelling now that I've matured. Robert Rossen uses a steady hand directing his story with Paul Newman creating perhaps his best antihero. Piper Laurie playing his fragile girlfriend Sarah more then holds her own with George c Scott's venomous Bert Gordon and Jacky Gleason's elegant Minnesota Fats.

You don't have to like pool to like this near perfect film with its great acting and character depth. Rack em up!