anything at all that involves the novelist walter tevis is like a puppy in a xmas box. he is my favorite writer on the planet. of his mere handful of books, almost all have been made into films. one of these days someone bright enough will make a movie of his stunning, 'mockingbird.' 'the hustler' could not be more different from 'the man who fell to earth', but walter penned them both. his tale of a young pool player working his way up to the big match, with the big man, is excellent. the fact that jackie gleason plays 'minnesota fats' is almost too beautiful. he is awesome.
when jackie and paul reach those very serious and sweaty moments of drinking shots as dawn comes knocking, neither of them is prettier than the other. newman has his perfect body but jackie is like a huge ballet dancer. you know only one of these guys will ever be the winner.
piper laurie is eloquently cast as the sad girl who takes newman in. the novel is easy to read, full of street wisdom and i think the film offers a similar experience. the great lee j. cobb is on hand to remind pauls' 'fast eddie' just what it means to be a loser. it is tempting to think nobody wins here, but that depends on one's definition of the word. i think it is a classic.
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