nan | 楠木

The Color of Money is one of Martin Scorsese’s lighter films in terms of depth of content. It is a generally entertainment-driven vehicle, but it still contains quite some good material.

The film stars Paul Newman, Tom Cruise and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and they make a handsome trio. Paul Newman plays Eddie Felson, a character he had played 25 years before in the 1961 movie The Hustler. Essentially, Eddie is a former professional pool player, and now hustles alcohol for a living. Tom Cruise is Vincent, a young pool player full of raw talent but extremely naive in the ways of the world. Mary Elizabeth Mastranonio is Carmen, Vincent’s girlfriend full of street smarts. With Eddie’s persuasion, Carmen realizes that Vincent is a big potential cash-earner, if he learns how to use his talent well. So the three go off on the road together, Eddie teaching Vincent the tools of the trade along the way.

Problem is, Vincent has a big soft heart, and is also more interested in beating all the competition than hustling money. And he doesn’t seem to learn – or rather, he likes doing things his way. Eddie eventually leaves, after showing them all the lessons. But if anything, through the trip Eddie has reclaimed his own passion in the game, so after fitting himself with some new glasses, he’s playing pro again. However, a big irony awaits him when he and Vincent meets again at a big competition…

The main cast all give smart performances. Paul Newman, needless to say, is sharp and on the ball, and his character radiates energy, driving the film forward. Tom Cruise boosts an “interesting” on-screen presence, in the sense that his hair-cut is nowhere close to being cool – it’s downright stupid. His youth (he was only 23-24 during the making of this film) naturally fits well with his character, and his performance – raw and energetic – also delivers. As for Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, the most striking thing was how young and beautiful she was; her acting, on the other hand, was mature and effective.

And as is customary for Scorsese’s works, the film boosts a good soundtrack and solid cinematography, which is further reason to spend two hours enjoying this feature.

8/10