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The Color of Money

Play trailer Poster for The Color of Money R 1986 1h 59m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil. He meets talented but green Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise) and proposes a partnership. As they tour pool halls, Eddie teaches Vincent the tricks of scamming, but he eventually grows frustrated with Vincent's showboat antics, leading to an argument and a falling-out. Eddie takes up playing again and soon crosses paths with Vincent as an opponent.
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The Color of Money

The Color of Money

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Critics Consensus

That it's inferior to the original goes without saying, but Paul Newman and Tom Cruise are a joy to watch, and Martin Scorsese's direction is typically superb.

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Critics Reviews

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Jason Bailey Flavorwire 04/08/2017
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. Go to Full Review
Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune 02/06/2017
2.5/4
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. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune 02/06/2017
3/4
It is a surprise, and a disappointment. Go to Full Review
Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm 10/24/2023
3.5/4
Has Martin Scorsese’s camera ever had as much fun as it does here? Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 08/29/2022
3/10
There are still a few surprises that have the potency to remain memorable, but, ultimately, when devious, dishonest people use one another for two hours, the end result is rarely satisfying. Go to Full Review
Alberto Abuín Espinof 08/27/2019
Everything, including a splendid cast, works like a clockwork mechanism in which Scorsese faces youth with experience. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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E L. @Blacklightrain Dec 22 Love the movie… The reason I love pool! See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 8 Success in 1 hour and 59 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $52,300,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Blu B Jun 24 A Classic Sports Drama. It's crazy back in the 80's we were doing sequels 20+ years later even than. (And Cruise was involved in it to. How crazy is that.) But great news, it's really good and deserves to stand with the original. Newman is awesome and so cool in this returning to form as a seasoned Fast Eddie. This really shares almost no continuity with the original besides Newman returning. You can easily watch this and not know anything about the first. A testament also how well made it is. Everyone else is really good especially Mastrantonio. Dialouge is great too. Fantastic direction by Scorese as well. Cinematography is amazing and really immerses you in the world of Pool Halls and hustling. The music is the best thing...dear god it's so laid back, cool, 80's and memorable. Everything else is really well done. The first half of this is about Cruise's character and the film flips and becomes about Newman. Oddly enough though while Cruise can be a bit whiny, Newman carries it through and when it becomes more about Eddie it becomes even better. It can feel a little episodic but in general it flows pretty well. And thanks to such strong execution it's very easy to overlook. Anyone who is a fan of pool, sports movies, the director, any actors in this, or the first movie should check this out. See more Filmviewer 3 Apr 3 It's honestly my favorite movie of all time. It just doesn't get any better than this. The eighties, Scorsese {before he became too predictable,) a young hot shot TC and silver fox Paul Newman reprising his role as Fast Eddie Felson. The soundtrack, the tone, direction, etc., and how about the character actors in this! Bill Cobb, John Turturro, Forrest Whitaker! I will watch this anytime it's on. What a gem. See more Jeff H Apr 1 Very good movie! Newman and Cruise! No sledgehammer breaks. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Mar 23 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, o elenco é mais ou menos, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores. See more Read all reviews
The Color of Money

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Movie Info

Synopsis Former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil. He meets talented but green Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise) and proposes a partnership. As they tour pool halls, Eddie teaches Vincent the tricks of scamming, but he eventually grows frustrated with Vincent's showboat antics, leading to an argument and a falling-out. Eddie takes up playing again and soon crosses paths with Vincent as an opponent.
Director
Martin Scorsese
Producer
Irving Axelrod, Barbara De Fina
Screenwriter
Walter Tevis, Richard Price
Distributor
Touchstone Pictures
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 17, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$52.3M
Runtime
1h 59m
Sound Mix
Surround
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