George C. Scott is spot-on as the sharply malicious and manipulative Bert who finds pleasure out of taking people’s money along with their pride. And Jackie Gleason as the legendary Minnesota Fats sheds his loud, over-the-top Honeymooners persona for a calm dignity and grace. Fats doesn’t say much or move much, but when he does he is captivating. “Look at the way he moves, like a dancer,” says an amazed Eddie during their pool game.

The Collector’s Edition DVD boasts some impressive special features. One featurette is entitled Life in the Fast Lane: Fast Eddie Felson and the Search for Greatness. New interviews with original cast-members including Paul Newman and Piper Laurie examine the iconic character of Fast Eddie. Newman discusses how he researched the role, learned tricky pool techniques, and trained for three days a week with a pro in order for his game to be camera-ready. And, of course, he also mentions how he resumed his role as Fast Eddie for 1986’s The Color of Money.

In another featurette, Milestones in Cinema History: The Hustler, the actors along with film scholars discuss the cultural and social impact of the film. Robert Rossen, the director who “had a way with controversial material”, chose to shoot the film in black and white. He also made the interesting choice of adding a pre-credit sequence, a technique popular in television shows, but not in movies. Some other fascinating tidbits revealed in this feature: Gleason was an extraordinary pool player in real life and once hustled Newman out of $100! And Piper Laurie was so scared of George C. Scott that she barely spoke to him while on set.

Of the remaining featurettes, The Art of the Hustle documents a brief history of the pool game and the tricks and schemes hustlers use to beat their opponents, and The Inside Story gives a behind-the-scenes look at how the movie came to screen with comments from film historians, pool experts and various other interviews.

The DVD also includes a biography on the life of Paul Newman . Watch closely for a short snippet from a 1953 screen-test that Paul Newman and James Dean did together. Man, those two would have made a fun pair! Rounding out the satisfying features is an audio commentary by Newman, film historian Jeff Young, film critic Richard Schickel, and others, and a couple of features about the film’s most famous trick shots.

With stand-out performances, an uncompromising script, and brilliant directing, The Hustler sinks the eight ball and remains a truly winning piece of cinema.

Movie Grade: A+
DVD Features Grade: A+
Overall Grade: A+