The Color of Money (1986)

The Color of Money is a 1986 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. The film stars Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver, and John Turturro. The film featured an original score by Robbie Robertson.

Newman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

The film continues the story of pool hustler and stakehorse Edward "Fast Eddie" Felson from Tevis' first novel, The Hustler (1959), with Newman reprising his role from its film adaptation (1961). Unlike The Hustler, which was released by 20th Century Fox, The Color of Money was released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures label. The film begins at a point more than 20 years after the events of the previous film, with Eddie retired from the pool circuit. Although Tevis did author a screenplay for the film, having adapted the storyline directly from his novel, the filmmakers decided not to use it, instead crafting an entirely different story under Tevis' title.

Synopsis

Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) is a former pool hustler turned successful liquor salesman. One night he meets Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise), a young, charismatic pool player and video gamer who plays small-time nine-ball games while working as a sales clerk at a toy store. Eddie, who still stakes bets for talented players like Julian (John Turturro), persuades Vincent and girlfriend/manager Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) to go on the road, where he can teach Vincent how to make much more money through hustling pool.

Actors