The Hustler

Luxury

Luxury

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Since a lot of the scenes would be in the dark pool rooms or bars it would be refreshing to have an outdoor scene in the sun and that’s when you do the Titanic hustle where he bets he can drive the golf ball 500 yards and drives it onto a frozen lake


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
C

crazysnake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Straightpool_99 said:
I thought some more about it, and I think, for the movie to work, it would have to take place in the past. 60's at the very latest, preferably earlier. Pool today just isn't the same. Who wants to see someone with headphones and his face buried in the smartphone barely get by? I mean it could work as a drama maybe, if you made it REALLY gritty and dirty, but prop bets and hustles? Come on, does anyone fall for those anymore? Watch the modern "hustle" style pool movies, they fall flat, because they are just not believable or relatable. So go the other way, go to a different world and take the audience away from that.

I think the 20's and 30's would be a great setting. You'd have a lot more wiggle room as to what angle you'd like to take. You could make it gritty, realistic, tough...or slightly more upbeat. There could be prop bets in there, lots of pool, cards, dice, ponies..Those all existed in more or less the same form. But the setting is different, so that makes it interesting. People today are into complex characters, being immersed in a different world, and if you go with a drama, you'd have lots of possibilities with that era, action, romance, everything would be available even comedy (but I'd advice against it as that is much harder to pull off). Of course it would be more expensive as well.

If you put pool more in the periphery of the story, you could go with a modern setting. But hustling? No, don't think so.
Click to expand...
I think the backdrop of the story/characters should reflect where pool is now. Or, if you decide to put it in the past, then not too far in the past, maybe late 70's-to more recent. Film action affords the opportunity for flashback.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Play using Tapatalk
 
Kickin' Chicken

Kickin' Chicken

Kick Shot Aficionado
Silver Member
I gotta say, I still think the Kid Delicious story as it was told in the book would have made a brilliant movie.

The unlikely hustler in all those tight spots like how when he was winning at the upstairs Philly mob club and he considered jumping out the bathroom window etc etc

I hated for that book to end - I think it would have translated really well onto the big screen.

too bad nothing ever happened with that.

best,
brian kc
 
chefjeff

chefjeff

If not now...
Silver Member
The Plot and the hustle:

A "short stop" ask a pool forum for advice.....

You can fill in the rest yourself.



Jeff Livingston
 
C

crazysnake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Everybody knows those prints of the dogs playing pool, right? Look, I think it should be animated, it should be Pixar/Disney and it should be about a young girl who loves, loves the game. Audiences will empathize with her fanaticism and her aspirations. Let audiences see the pool world through her eyes...go.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Play using Tapatalk
 
Ken_4fun

Ken_4fun

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Biggest Opportunity

Jay -

IMO the biggest opportunity for a great movie is the Keith McCready story. I think you might know the pup.

I am not a fan of "remakes" that seem so popular today.

JAM has been working on the book (maybe) for years.

As I have mentioned, Stuey Unger story was along the lines I was thinking about but using Keith's story.

I know there are some embarrassing details that he might not want told, but if the WHOLE story is told, I think it is a success story.

Ken
 
B

bstroud

Deceased
Jay,

The best pool story for a new movie is the "Jack and Barbara Cooney" story.

A true Epic Hustlers' tale.

Bill S.
 
jacob

jacob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My favorite proposition shot is to put a ball on the spot with a quarter balanced on top of it. With ball in hand in the kitchen execute a six rail kick, hit the ball on the spot with the quarter staying in place!
 
mvp

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
lfigueroa said:
Doesn’t matter.

Tons of movies out there, including Oscar winners, about little to unknown to completely imaginary people. It’s about whether the character and story are compelling and portrayed in a decent movie.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

Point Lou! Like I knew who or what a freaking Sea Biscut was before the movie lol
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How about the story of Grady Seasons? Or part of it. He got to that pool hall match with Fast Eddie, what happened before, or after? And JAM is a professional writer to boot. Of course you'll likely need a bit of CGI to make Keith look younger, maybe a LOT :wink:

Actually maybe Grady Seasons after the match, got beat, lost backers, had to marry a respectable woman and take a dog for walks in the park till someone took him on the road again. Woman gets angry, stages a lesson for him with an unknown hustler to take him down a-la ending of White Men Can't Jump when the guy got hustled in his game by his "partner".
 
Last edited:
JoeyInCali

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Ken_4fun said:
Jay -

IMO the biggest opportunity for a great movie is the Keith McCready story. I think you might know the pup.

I am not a fan of "remakes" that seem so popular today.

JAM has been working on the book (maybe) for years.

As I have mentioned, Stuey Unger story was along the lines I was thinking about but using Keith's story.

I know there are some embarrassing details that he might not want told, but if the WHOLE story is told, I think it is a success story.

Ken
Click to expand...
Agreed.
Hollywood is huge on flawed heroes who end up well at the end of the movie.
Throw in a love story , you got a good formula.
A bad guy has to be in there though . Someone who will do anything to stop the good guy from achieving his goal.
This is where they take a lot of liberty in re-writing biographies .

The original The Hustler is really that formula.
Eddie is a flawed hero. He was a drunk and a gambling degenerate .
Falls in love and loses his love . End of ACT 2 when Sarah dies.
Eddie comes back a changed man in ACT 3 and beats Fats.
Swears he'd kill Bert if he hurts him again.
Bert lets it slide but tells him his gambling days are over.
Which actually solved Eddie's biggest fault, gambling.
We take it Eddie lives gambling and alcohol free after that day.
 
Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
gogg said:
As much as I dislike Tom Cruise, THIS makes a LOT of sense.... anyone who would be even slightly interested in this new movie has likely all ready seen the Color of Money
As well as the Hustler...... and Tom has matured a bit as an actor, so maybe he would be believable as a “later in Life” Vincent.
Click to expand...

I know in our dreams money is no object, but do you have any idea how deep into the red one would have to go to get tom cruise to take the role?
 
gogg

gogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Black-Balled said:
I know in our dreams money is no object, but do you have any idea how deep into the red one would have to go to get tom cruise to take the role?
Click to expand...

Of course, at the end of the day, all ya have is still just Tom.........
(An expensive, minimally talented, nut job)
😉
 
D

decent dennis

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JoeyInCali said:
Agreed.
Hollywood is huge on flawed heroes who end up well at the end of the movie.
Throw in a love story , you got a good formula.
A bad guy has to be in there though . Someone who will do anything to stop the good guy from achieving his goal.
This is where they take a lot of liberty in re-writing biographies .

The original The Hustler is really that formula.
Eddie is a flawed hero. He was a drunk and a gambling degenerate .
Falls in love and loses his love . End of ACT 2 when Sarah dies.
Eddie comes back a changed man in ACT 3 and beats Fats.
Swears he'd kill Bert if he hurts him again.
Bert lets it slide but tells him his gambling days are over.
Which actually solved Eddie's biggest fault, gambling.
We take it Eddie lives gambling and alcohol free after that day.
Click to expand...

And becomes a liquor salesman.:thumbup:
 
hayes1699

hayes1699

Registered
Straightpool_99 said:
I thought some more about it, and I think, for the movie to work, it would have to take place in the past. 60's at the very latest, preferably earlier. Pool today just isn't the same. Who wants to see someone with headphones and his face buried in the smartphone barely get by? I mean it could work as a drama maybe, if you made it REALLY gritty and dirty, but prop bets and hustles? Come on, does anyone fall for those anymore? Watch the modern "hustle" style pool movies, they fall flat, because they are just not believable or relatable. So go the other way, go to a different world and take the audience away from that.

I think the 20's and 30's would be a great setting. You'd have a lot more wiggle room as to what angle you'd like to take. You could make it gritty, realistic, tough...or slightly more upbeat. There could be prop bets in there, lots of pool, cards, dice, ponies..Those all existed in more or less the same form. But the setting is different, so that makes it interesting. People today are into complex characters, being immersed in a different world, and if you go with a drama, you'd have lots of possibilities with that era, action, romance, everything would be available even comedy (but I'd advice against it as that is much harder to pull off). Of course it would be more expensive as well.

If you put pool more in the periphery of the story, you could go with a modern setting. But hustling? No, don't think so.
Click to expand...


There are a few challenges with your approach that make a film to be produced. Shooting any period piece explodes a film budget. Wardrobe, cars, scenery, etc all make it more difficult to produce a film in today's budget stricken world. Also, a good story is a good story. So much has happened in pool globally in the last 10 years and pool is more popular in many respects. If a pool movie is produced for the right amount of $$, attracts a global audience and has a good story, success can happen.

just my humble opinion as a television director
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top