The Color of Money (1986)

I was looking forward to picking this up on blu ray and couldn't be more disappointed in the picture quality of this disc. Most disappointing blu ray disc purchase I've made to date. At no point do you think you're watching a high def movie.

[Edit] This is exactly the same so called "HD" print that they've shown on HBOHD and CinemaxHD since long before the blu ray was released. I'm watching it on Cinemax right now and there is no difference whatsoever between this version and the blu ray.

This movie deserved a lot better treatment than this. I can't enjoy the blu ray because I'm constantly thinking how bad the picture looks. Disney has told me they will refund the money for this, I suggest anyone who feels like they got shortchanged buying this contact them.

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)This movie appears to be about pool on the surface. But it's less about pool than it is about what motivates us as people.

Fast Eddie Felson of the classic, "The Hustler," returns to reverse roles in this 80s classic. Instead of being the young champ, he wants to train the young champ in Tom Cruise. But eventually, he realizes the hard way he doesn't have the stomach to play stake horse and in his heart he really wants the thrill of competition.

A lot of people will compare this movie to "The Hustler," since it is the sequel. There is no comparison. This movie really can't even be compared in pool terms. The pool shots that they hit in this movie are, for the most part, average to above-average. This is not the mind blowing pool play from "The Hustler" to be sure.

But this movie does have plenty going for it. For non-pool players, this movie has more character development. This movie also features some of the greatest cinematography of any film. And Newman, Cruise, and the supporting cast all put in stellar performances.

In short, this is a great movie that's worth watching just for enjoyment or on a deeper level for those who appreciate fine cinema. It's not half the movie that "The Hustler" is, but it has enough merits to stand on its own.

Buy The Color of Money (1986) Now

Avoid this turkey of a HD transfer at all costs. That was rather poor quality 8 years ago, now it's shameless to sell this. No HD detail, no proper 35mm texture, no proper colour and shadow detail. Someone should tell Marty...

Read Best Reviews of The Color of Money (1986) Here

If you care about this film at all, run away far and fast. Somebody botched this disc so badly it almost has to be a mistake. It's an incredible shame

that a film that earned Paul Newman accolades and an Oscar, is among Scorsese's best, has an excellent performance by Tom Cruise gets this kind of treatment. Hopefully it will end up like Gladiator and Gangs of New York that somebody will acknowledge that this isn't what was approved and the real

intended Bluray will be released. Everybody knows about the John Carter debacle and how much money Disney probably will lose, but butchering a classic Live

Action film isn't the way to recoup either money or reputation. Multiple end-users and professional reviewers have been appalled at this attempt and

hopefully once Scorsese gets a copy he and his people will throw some weight behind getting this abomination fixed.

I only wish I could give this 0 stars or worse.

Want The Color of Money (1986) Discount?

In this movie's opening voiceover, director Martin Scorsese explains that nine-ball pool, as you've probably guessed, comes down to one basic rule: You don't win without pocketing the 9. Partially this depends on the balls' spread in the break; i.e. on luck. But, Scorsese concludes with the credo of all high-stakes hustlers from poker to pool and beyond: "For some players, luck itself is an art."

Once, Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) mastered this art; a whiz kid out to beat champion Minnesota Fats, he had to learn some painful lessons instead. But that was 25 years ago in 1961's "Hustler," to which "The Color of Money" is a belated sequel and now it's "dead and buried." Now Eddie is a liquor salesman; even if he's still got the hustle down cold: just listen to him philosophizing about a bourbon's color, age and acidic content and I'll lay you any bet you'll be buying a case from him in no time at all.

Yet, Eddie keeps hanging around pool halls, and one day the inevitable happens: He runs into Vincent (Tom Cruise), almost a reincarnation of his younger self; a guy with a sledgehammer break and an "incredible flake," as Eddie opines less than charitably, cocky beyond belief but apparently unaware of his potential, preferring to perfect his video game reflexes on the theory that this might get him into West Point, instead of focusing on his greatest and, more importantly, only financially viable area of expertise: pool. Now, if Eddie has learned one thing it's that whatever your field, it *all* comes down to money; and the guy who's got the most of it is the best. But to get there, you have to be more than just excellent at what you do: You have to be a student of psychology, learn to take advantage of others, understand when to lose is actually to win; and if you're a "natural character" like Vincent, you have to learn to "flake on and flake off" to be yourself, but on purpose. In short, it takes the right proportion of both brains and b*lls to win big at pool. All this, Eddie is determined to teach Vince, even if it takes some support from his girlfriend Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) to get him going. But eventually they do set out on the road, for a six-week high-intensity training in hustles and cons, with their eyes set on a high-stakes nine-ball tournament in Atlantic City at the end. And Eddie, once exploited by a ruthless promoter himself, dispenses tough love; all to drive home one crucial lesson: "Nice guys finish last;" and mercy towards *any* opponent is downright unprofessional.

Vincent, Carmen and Eddie make an unequal trio; they collide as often and as hard as cue balls, and it's a sheer joy to see these outstanding actors go up against each other: Cruise as the cocky kid who refuses to drop his ego trips, Mastrantonio as his tough-talking girlfriend, and Newman as the seasoned pro who suddenly gets goose-bumpy again when entering a pool room (even if to his shame he finds the place now used for furniture storage), rediscovers that money won is "twice as sweet" as money earned, and at last gets hungry enough to get back into the game himself, albeit at the price of first being hustled by a kid with a dumb-fat-underdog routine (brilliantly played by Forest Whitaker). For Tom Cruise, who left a lasting impression with 1983's "Risky Business" but otherwise only had a few middling movies under his belt at this point, this was a great opportunity to show his chops opposite one of the business's all-time greats, and he was more than up to the task. (Although he shot to superstardom the same year with "Top Gun," even here virtually all of his trademark mannerisms and voice inflections particularly when playing cocky are already fully present.) Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio earned Oscarand Golden-Globe-nominations for her portrayal of Carmen, who clues into Eddie's "pool is business" lessons quicker than Vince and, after a first-hand education on the use of "that thing," finds ways through Vincent's cockiness where Eddie doesn't have access. Paul Newman finally netted his long-overdue Academy Award; thus belatedly making up for the undeserved pass for "The Hustler," after the Academy had summarily sugarcoated a total of seven unfulfilled nominations and numerous award-worthy appearances that didn't even earn that kind of nod with a lifetime achievement award the year before. (Newman accepted, but wasn't present at either ceremony.)

What makes this movie stand out, however, is not merely its tremendous cast, from the central trio to Helen Shaver (Eddie's girlfriend Janelle), John Turturro (Julian, the "stake horse" Vincent replaces in Eddie's favor), Scorsese's dog Zoe (credited as "dog walkby"!), Iggy Pop, and several top pool players, e.g. Steve "The Miz" Mizerak, Jimmy "Pretty Boy Floyd" Mataya (together with wife Eva also technical advisor) and Keith McCready (Vincent's nemesis Grady Seasons). Moreover, nobody could have captured the pool halls' dingy allure, a trick shot's swift precision and the balls' movement over the table quite like Michael Ballhaus there's a reason they call him "Hollywood's Eye." And then there's the score, by the "Band's" ringleader Robbie Robertson; featuring contributions from a virtual who-is-who of rock and blues's all time greatest, including Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Don Henley, Warren Zevon, Phil Collins, Robert Palmer and Percy Sledge; pointedly framing all key scenes and doubling the edge of the cue balls' and characters' collisions alike.

The movie's ending may appear anticlimactic, as the story seems to build up to a showdown which we never get to see. But for Eddie, it's ultimately about going up against Vince's best game and the only thing that matters is that he's back, and there to stay for the duration this time. And no question: back he certainly is.

Also recommended:

The Hustler (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

The Sting (Universal Legacy Series)

The Firm

Maverick

Atlantic City

Rounders (Collector's Edition)

Flim Flam Man

Save 27% Off