Scorsese shows true 'Color'

In an age when we constantly regard films in terms of the groups they fall into - "courtroom films," "baseball films," "boat films," etc. - there are only a few great movies that fall into the category of "billiards films." Of this finite group, two of the best are "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money."

Both based on books by author Walter Tevis, these films follow the roller coaster life of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, brilliantly played by Paul Newman.

"The Color of Money," directed by Martin Scorsese, picks up Eddie's story 25 years after "The Hustler." The stick-handler has become a traveling whisky salesman - a job that lets him spend time in his old haunts, but away from the green tables.

At one bar, he comes across handsome, young Vince, (Tom Cruise), whose "sledgehammer break" barely matches his cockiness. Behind Vince is the divisive girlfriend Carmen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), who runs the money for her man and yearns for anything more than the $20-a-break games he wins with no trouble.

Eddie soon becomes Vince's "steakhorse," underwriting all his bets, teaching him the nuances of the hustle and driving him and Carmen around the Midwest looking for action. Soon, Eddie's love for the game - this time nine-ball, rather than straight pool - and a primordial urge to assert his dominance over his student lead the old-timer to split from his protégé in an effort to recapture the talent he once knew.

One of the best parts of this film is the clash of youth and age, beauty and once-beautiful, in Newman and Cruise. Vince is the naïve, talented man who Eddie remembers from his own youth. At the same time, the youngster is reluctant to concede that his teacher's years have taught lessons that he is waiting to learn.

Smaller characters, such as Amos (Forest Whitaker), the nice-guy grifter, and Julian (John Turturo), the bad-boy rival of Vince, also weave their ways into the screenplay, by Richard Price, to create a full quilt of time, place and personages.

But it is the direction of the film that sets it apart from other films. This rather simple work is a perfect example of Scorsese's genius. The filmmaker fills the screen with rich images, juicy camera work and gritty stagings.

"The Color of Money" is the only film for which Paul Newman ever won an Oscar, and it shows. His performance catches the profound and multi-faceted nature of Eddie without ever pausing.

When stuck with such a small group of "billiard films," it is comforting to know that one of the prime examples is as strong as "The Color of Money." This film is well worth a viewing and especially a re-viewing.

01-28-99