The Hustler

Title: The Hustler
Year: 1961
Director: Robert Rossen
Writers: Sidney Carroll & Robert Rossen, based on the novel by Walter Tevis
Starring: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott
Music: Kenyon Hopkins
Distinctions: Oscars for Best Cinematography (black-and-white) and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (black-and-white); Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor (Newman), Best Actress (Laurie), Best Supporting Actor (Gleason), Best Supporting Actor (Scott); currently #182 on IMDb's Top 250
Synopsis: a pool shark is bad at gambling and has relationship troubles
Length: 134 minutes
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), January 2009
Subjective Rating: 5/10 (Indifferent).
Objective Rating: 6/10 (points off for story, pacing, special effects/design and subjective rating) c. 3.0/4 (Good).

Very pretty looking movie, with a great score and great acting (especially from Gleason), but mind-numbingly boring. It feels like two or three different movies mashed together. The "sets" (read "locations") and costumes etc. are great, but the sound is a garbled mess.