49 DVD/Blu-ray Review - The Hustler & The Comancheros

What better way for Dad to spend Father’s Day than relaxing on the couch with two of Hollywood’s manliest screen personas?

New on Blu-ray now is “The Hustler,” with Paul Newman playing Fast Eddie Felson, the role that would cement him as one of the premier acting talents of his generation. Watching this beautiful black-and-white digital transfer, I was struck by how modern the story is. “The Hustler” is so much more than the ups and downs of one pool player. It’s shot in a very realistic way and deals with inner conflict and what it means to be a man.

On the other hand, “The Comancheros,” starring John Wayne, is a pretty prototypical Western. Charming and agreeable, it moves along at a good clip while Wayne’s Texas Ranger continues to cross paths with a handsome gambler, played by Stuart Whitman. Shot in widescreen saturated CinemaScope, it’s the polar opposite of “The Hustler’s” sparse art direction, but it’s entertaining in a predictable way.

Both films are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and have never looked better than they do now on Blu-ray.

Influential Film Performances: Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in ...

&Nbsp;           Paul Newman was the greatest movie star to ever live. In some ways, he was your stereotypical movie star in that he was classically handsome, charming, charismatic, and lived a rich, luxurious life. But unlike a lot of Hollywood stars he had true character . He was married to the same woman, fellow actress Joanne Woodward, for 50 years, and was one of Hollywood’s most charitable actors. He started the company Newman’s Own in which 100% of its profits goes to charity. So far it has raised over 300 million since its inception in 1982. ( link ) He also started the non–profit organization The Hole in the Wall Gang - a camp for terminally-ill children. ( link ) While there’s no doubt about the fact that the real Paul Newman had character , he specialized in playing people that lacked character and are learning how to obtain it. Think of his most iconic roles in movies such as Hud, Cool Hand Luke, The Sting, Slap Shot, The Verdict, Nobody’s Fool, and, of course, The Hustler and you’ll see that’s true. He was an actor who liked to play people, and who audiences like to watch go from a rebel, misfit outsider to a person who acquires true moral integrity. He didn’t always succeed, as in Hud , as he did in most of his movies like The Hustler , but no matter what, the audience got to experience an authentic performance that was layered with complexity. was released in 1961, and was filmed in black and white. Its story follows Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman), a drifter who travels around the country going to pool halls hustling money. Fast Eddie (nicknamed that because he can beat you so fast at pool, and then turn around and lose just as fast) dreams of being the best pool player there ever was, and he goes to play the best: Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). In their first epic pool match (of two), Fast Eddie begins by completely whipping Minnesota Fats earning over $18,000 dollars. Eddie earlier stated that his goal was to earn $10,000 dollars. But, as he says to his manager, his goal had always been to beat Minnesota Fats and “the game is not over till Fats says it is”. Fast Eddie continually shoots pool (for over 25 hours straight) and incessantly drinks bourbon, until he eventually gets drunk and loses all his money to Minnesota Fats.  In that match Eddie met Bert Gordon (George C.

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