Early Cruise pic and he gives a charismatic performance as a cocky pool prodigy who Newman is trying to mentor/exploit. Newman won a deserved Oscar for his weary hustler. Mastrantonio provides able support as Cruise's character's street smart girlfriend.Scorsese's movie starts off well as three way character study, but slightly flubs it in the second half when the focus shifts from group dynamics to driving the plot. Even so it's more subtle and less choreographed than some of his later movies, while still containing some of the same winning tropes e.g. the documentary like approach to explaining the various cons and hustles.
Blu-ray wise, I've seen better. There are no distracting artefacts, but also no scenes which pop either and given the number of close ups that's a real shame.
Verdict: Newman Cruise Control.
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