What issues have pool movies addressed?
- Thread starter justnum
- Start date
the movie "Chalk" taught me how to get ready for a big match!!!!!!!!!!
I think both The Hustler and The Color of Money examined the matter of self-respect as it pertains to hustling with great skill.
The Hustler
Though entusiastic to go on the road, Eddie clearly was not comfortable in the role of a predator. After his big score during Kentucky Derby week at the home of a wealthy man, the man he'd beaten said "we'll do it again sometime" and Eddie's sarcastic reply was "yeah, sure." Eddie had clearly lost some of his self-respect. He would gain it back by beating Minnesota Fats fair and square, but in the aftermath of the win, Eddie got one last dose of Burt's predatory style.
The Color of Money
Vincent was uncomfortable and repulsed by the idea of the predatory action that Eddie forced upon him. He wanted to win fair and square, as was made evident in his gambling session with Grady Seasons, when Vincent requested that Grady no longer spot him. Eddie pushed and pushed, and, ultimately, Vincent came to terms with hustling and its moral implicaitons. It all came to a head in Atlantic City, however, where Vincent dumped and bet the other side, even in his tournament match against Eddie. Now it was Eddie who was repulsed by Vincent's use of the tricks he'd taught him. Eddie had been transformed from one who endorsed dumping for profit to one who couldn't deal with it. In the world of hustiling, both Vincent and Eddie found that it's sometimes hard to look yourself in the mirror. By the end of the movie, Eddie was the one who wanted to win fair and square .... over Vincent!
The lessons of these two movies extend far beond pool, for those who cheat to accomplish anything have to live with themselves and will often be challenged to retain their self-respect.
The Hustler
Though entusiastic to go on the road, Eddie clearly was not comfortable in the role of a predator. After his big score during Kentucky Derby week at the home of a wealthy man, the man he'd beaten said "we'll do it again sometime" and Eddie's sarcastic reply was "yeah, sure." Eddie had clearly lost some of his self-respect. He would gain it back by beating Minnesota Fats fair and square, but in the aftermath of the win, Eddie got one last dose of Burt's predatory style.
The Color of Money
Vincent was uncomfortable and repulsed by the idea of the predatory action that Eddie forced upon him. He wanted to win fair and square, as was made evident in his gambling session with Grady Seasons, when Vincent requested that Grady no longer spot him. Eddie pushed and pushed, and, ultimately, Vincent came to terms with hustling and its moral implicaitons. It all came to a head in Atlantic City, however, where Vincent dumped and bet the other side, even in his tournament match against Eddie. Now it was Eddie who was repulsed by Vincent's use of the tricks he'd taught him. Eddie had been transformed from one who endorsed dumping for profit to one who couldn't deal with it. In the world of hustiling, both Vincent and Eddie found that it's sometimes hard to look yourself in the mirror. By the end of the movie, Eddie was the one who wanted to win fair and square .... over Vincent!
The lessons of these two movies extend far beond pool, for those who cheat to accomplish anything have to live with themselves and will often be challenged to retain their self-respect.
The most important message I got from TCOM was that hustling and life as a grifter was shallow and unfullfilling to a man who was at heart a serious competitor and wanted to be the best and be recognized as such.
The issue the Hustler addressed was that winning and losing at pool are a small deal when compared to winning and losing at life. Eddie won the match at the end of the movie but he lost far more to get there and the win was thus fairly empty. He had character drilled into him by alot of ugly events and became a much harder person because of them. That hardness helped him defeat Fats but it removed alot of the joy in the victory and in many ways the joy of pool, until he met Vince.
Both of those movies had phenomenal messages and are IMO equals at the top of the pile of pool movies.
Pool Hall Junkies showed us that even with Christopher Walken in a pool movie it can still suck if the script is just a bunch of crappy cliches and is completely predictable.
The issue the Hustler addressed was that winning and losing at pool are a small deal when compared to winning and losing at life. Eddie won the match at the end of the movie but he lost far more to get there and the win was thus fairly empty. He had character drilled into him by alot of ugly events and became a much harder person because of them. That hardness helped him defeat Fats but it removed alot of the joy in the victory and in many ways the joy of pool, until he met Vince.
Both of those movies had phenomenal messages and are IMO equals at the top of the pile of pool movies.
Pool Hall Junkies showed us that even with Christopher Walken in a pool movie it can still suck if the script is just a bunch of crappy cliches and is completely predictable.
I agree wholeheartedly.....
Although you have to admit that Christopher Walken's monologue about the lions was pretty damn good...
Jaden
Although you have to admit that Christopher Walken's monologue about the lions was pretty damn good...
Jaden
Definitely "The Hustler" left an impression on me. There's more to life than pool, and there's no place like home.
Some folks go through their entire life without ever experiencing true love. I am blessed to have found my soul mate. :smiling-heart:
Good thread. I'll be interested to read the other replies.
Some folks go through their entire life without ever experiencing true love. I am blessed to have found my soul mate. :smiling-heart:
Good thread. I'll be interested to read the other replies.
Right. And this certainly applies to TCOM. They used nothing from the book other than the title. And it was a darn good book.
Dave Nelson
