The Hustler

“Fast” Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) is a young pool hustler with talent to spare but a lot to learn before he makes it big. To add to his problems, he is addicted to gambling and alcohol. His one shot at the big time was a match with pool legend Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason), which Eddie had in the bag until his addictions got the better of him. Eddie hits rock bottom when he hustles the wrong people who repay him by breaking both his thumbs. Finally at rock bottom, Eddie turns to an old girlfriend and former prostitute Sarah Packard (Piper Laurie) to tack care of him, and to seasoned gambler Bert Gordon (George C. Scott) to manage his career.