The Color of Money
A seasoned pool hustler mentors a gifted young player across America, only to collide with the ambition and ego he helped unleash.
Overview
A seasoned hustler mentors a young prodigy in the high-stakes world of pool, but their journey is fraught with tension and rivalry.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- jazzy
- competitive
- witty
- sports movie night
- scorsese retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Paul Newman's performance, Tom Cruise's charisma, the central trio, and Martin Scorsese's energetic direction while viewing the film as less substantial than The Hustler.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Eddie trains Vincent partly to recover the status and excitement he once possessed as a pool player.
Pool matches repeatedly turn on reading opponents, concealing ability, managing appearances, and controlling stakes.
Scorsese presents cue sports through dynamic camera movement, rapid cutting, vivid table imagery, and heightened match energy.
Eddie, Vincent, and Carmen form an unstable traveling unit divided by money, talent, autonomy, and Vincent's showmanship.
Films like The Color of Money, and why
The Hustler
shared pool-hall milieu, gambling culture, mentor protege tension, and morally complicated ambition
Mean Streets
shared martin scorsese direction, male rivalry, kinetic performance style, and crime-adjacent hustling
Rocky
shared sports drama structure, charismatic mentorship, competitive ambition, and emotionally charged showmanship
California Split
shared gambling subculture, stylish urban drama, and characters negotiating talent, money, and self-discipline
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 1986-10-17
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (1590)
Cast
- Paul Newman
- Tom Cruise
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
- Helen Shaver
- John Turturro
- Bill Cobbs
- Forest Whitaker
- Keith McCready
- Elizabeth Bracco
- Vito D'Ambrosio
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Color of Money about?
- A seasoned pool hustler mentors a gifted young player across America, only to collide with the ambition and ego he helped unleash.
- What is The Color of Money like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Color of Money as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Color of Money violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Color of Money.
- What did critics think of The Color of Money?
- Critics broadly praised Paul Newman's performance, Tom Cruise's charisma, the central trio, and Martin Scorsese's energetic direction while viewing the film as less substantial than The Hustler.
- Which films are like The Color of Money?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hustler, Mean Streets, Rocky, and California Split.
- How long is The Color of Money?
- The Color of Money runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Color of Money?
- In United States, The Color of Money is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
