The Hustler (1961) / The Color of Money (1986)

Robert Rossen's The Hustler is a bitter swallow of a film. The tale of Fast Eddie Felson, a low-level pool shark who wants to be the best, it went to show that talent and drive can only get you so far. That's heresy in America. Filmed in widescreen black and white, great swathes of the movie seem to go by watching two men — Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason — circle a pool table.

When Martin Scorsese picked up the story 25 years later, he tapped novelist Richard Price (Clockers, The Wire) to update the story. Tom Cruise, in what was essentially the Paul Newman role from the original film, played young and ambitious very well—he's all wide grins and cocky swagger.

• 
• Click to Print

• Find this article at:
• https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1852056_1852251_1852088,00.html