The sports film captures the story of Fast Eddie Felson, a billiard player who is entering a new experience in front of a younger player. Felson met the young billiard and promoter, Vincent, at a local bar where they were both in one lane. Now, Eddie presents to teach Vincent more rules about the origins of fraud.
Yes, sure, this is mid-level Scorsese. But it says something about the director that his mid-level work still beats the hell out of just about anyone else's best.
[Scorsese] delivers the cinematic charge of the pool room culture of hustle and gamesmanship along with the education of a young protégé lacking self and a mentor who has yet to face his own conflicted feelings about the game.
Scorsese is peerless at mining the streaks of courage and excellence that might redeem such low-life sleaze. And Scorsese again proves himself a master with actors.
We are not on Rocky's side of the street, but in Martin Scorsese country, where bent character, not sentiment, shapes destiny, and the best the struggling human spirit can hope for is a split decision.
The confrontational climax never quite convinces, but Richard Price's knockout script is one to treasure and director Martin Scorsese brings his trademark visual style to bear on the production.
The premise might sound interesting, but the plotting is so utterly predictable that The Color of Money turns into a pool-room variation of The Karate Kid.
