Structural and Thematic Review of Scorsese's The Color of Money

Introduction

American cinema has long succeeded in depicting the realities of contemporary American life. Martin Scorsese is one director who has consistently managed this task in his distinctive slow-burn style. This paper is a structural and thematic review of his 1986 film The Color of Money.

The Color of Money was released in 1986 by Touchstone Studio (On Location, 2002). It was directed by Martin Scorsese, with Michael Ballhaus as cinematographer. The main cast featured Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who played the three most significant characters around which the plot and themes of the film are built. Running for one hour and fifty-eight minutes, The Color of Money is based on a novel and is associated with The Hustler (1961), to which it is considered a sequel (The Color of Money: Paul Newman, 2002). The film belongs to the drama genre, with a tinge of period atmosphere. It is widely regarded as a typical Scorsese production conducted in the slow-burn, 1970s style that also characterizes Taxi Driver.

The film won an Academy Award for Paul Newman, who played Fast Eddie Felson — a character who had only been nominated in the original film, The Hustler. The Color of Money was shot in Chicago, Illinois, and in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the boardwalk and casino exteriors. Early narration in the film was recorded in Scorsese's own voice. Tom Cruise learned and performed all of the required trick shots himself, with the exception of one, which was executed by professional pool player Mike Sigel. Sigel, along with other pool players of the era, provided technical assistance to the cast.

Plot Overview

The Color of Money centers on the world of pool games and pool sharking, depicted through three characters: Eddie Felson, Vincent Lauria, and Carmen, played by Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, respectively. Fast Eddie Felson is a bar owner who was banned from competitive pool play on account of his extraordinary talent. Once the best pool player in the game, he has since turned pool shark and is searching for a protégé with raw, untrained talent whom he can groom for the professional billiards circuit.

While searching, Felson notices Lauria at a pool hall, where the young man is effectively fleecing a professional pool hustler using nothing but innate ability. Recognizing exactly what he is looking for, Felson convinces Lauria to partner with him: in exchange for a share of the winnings from professional play, Felson will teach Lauria the tricks of the trade. Carmen, Lauria's girlfriend, plays a role that is substantive both to the plot and the underlying themes. She possesses what Lauria lacks — the cunning required to succeed. It is Carmen who gives Felson the most resistance as he works to persuade Lauria.

Once the trio has struck their deal, they plan and train for the 9-Ball Tournament in Atlantic City. Through the group chemistry among the three characters, the film moves toward its climax, where Felson has trained Lauria to the point of mutual dissatisfaction. Lauria is unwilling to remain a student, and Felson is unwilling to remain a mentor. The two shift to opposing ends of their relationship, with Felson vowing to sharpen his own game enough to compete with Lauria's natural genius. The film ends in a showdown between the two at the tournament semifinals in Las Vegas.

Critical Reception

The Color of Money was "Scorsese's first true box-office hit" (Biography, 2002) upon its release, screening to wide audiences across the United States. However, the film did not fare as well with critics, who consistently compared it unfavorably to its predecessor, The Hustler. The most frequently voiced criticism concerned the plot and its execution — particularly the ending — which many critics found dull, flat, and lacking the overwhelming screen presence of the original. Most argued that The Color of Money was not a worthy sequel but rather a haphazard remake.

Critics were, however, largely pleased with the acting of the entire cast, with one reviewer noting that "the cast is brilliant" (Keogh, 2002), while lamenting the absence of George C. Scott, whose performance had lent The Hustler so much of its power. Newman's Oscar win was considered well deserved: "Few can fault Paul Newman's Oscar win for The Color of Money (it was certainly about time!)" (Erickson, 2002), and "Newman won a deserved Oscar for his performance" (Keogh, 2002).

Tom Cruise also received praise. As one reviewer observed: "Mention should be made of Tom Cruise's performance, which is every bit as accomplished as Newman's. One of these days, Cruise is going to make a picture in which the critical attention will not be concentrated on some attention-getting heavyweight like Newman, Hoffman, or Nicholson, and it will be Cruise who walks down the aisle on Oscar night" (Erickson, 2002). In retrospect, The Color of Money appears to have been Cruise's first genuine breakthrough within this kind of dramatic film genre.

Scorsese, however, was criticized for what critics saw as an overly ornate directorial style, viewed as a direct contrast to the austere treatment of The Hustler. "One brief scene is shot from the point of view of the cue ball!" (Erickson, 2002), and "Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus make an ornate show of the collision and flight of pool balls through space" (Keogh, 2002). The film was also seen as anti-climactic, with the second half diminishing considerably. In the words of Tom Keogh, "the film … [is] weaker in its second half, and rightly so, as everything that was interesting in the first place disappears."

Conclusion

It has been demonstrated that The Color of Money excels in terms of the power and craftsmanship of its screenplay and the quality of its performances. In addition, the film succeeds in communicating its central themes — cynicism versus naivety, greed as a social force, and the deceptiveness of surface appearances — effectively through the combined efforts of direction, cinematography, and acting. While critical reception at the time was mixed, particularly with respect to comparisons drawn with The Hustler, the film's thematic richness and its performances, especially those of Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, remain its most enduring strengths.

References

Biography. Martin Scorsese. Accessed April 25, 2002. Available at http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/biography.asp?ctr=647027.

Erickson, Hal. 2002. All Movie Guide. Barnes and Noble. http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?wrk=3558648.

Keogh, Tom. 2002. Editorial Reviews. Amazon.

On Location: The Color of Money. Accessed April 25, 2002. Available at

The Color of Money. 1986. DVD. Walt Disney Video. March 14, 2000.

The Color of Money (1986): Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Helen Shaver, Martin Scorsese. Accessed April 25, 2002. Available at